Wonderwall
by Anastasia JoAn
Summary: FINISHED Read the Oasis song that my story is named for, and you'll have a good summary of my story. SiriusOC, DracoOC, OliverOC. R for sex, some violence, language.
1. Back To School

_Disclaimer: I own absolutely nothing: no characters, plots, scenes, etc. J.K. Rowling rules over me. All I have is one itty bitty character and my plot._

Chapter One  
  
Brynn paced the room of her office, changing her look at every about-face. _Should I start with Aesop or Richard Scarry?_ POP! Dorothy Parker's vision of a big blonde appeared. _How much knowledge do they have?_ POP! A distinguished woman dressed all in black down to her black framed glasses and black hair. _Why did I come back?!_ POP! She changed back into herself: she was a woman of average height, probably around five feet six inches tall. Her long chestnut colored hair was pulled into a loose ponytail at the back of her neck, and it cascaded down to the end of her shoulder blades.

That last thought wrecked her; she fell to the floor and began crying. To her, it felt like yesterday. She couldn't stop the nagging feeling that if she had been there, he wouldn't have gone. Dumbledore had assured her that she was wrong in this presumption: after all, "Just how many Death Eaters did you think there were? Two?" he sniffed at her when she said this to him.

"I just....." she had begun, and then trailed off.

"There was nothing you could do, Brynn. You know what the veil means. Never. Never again." He was tired, she could tell. However, she couldn't blame him. Dumbledore had taken the worst beating of his life last term when the Ministry refused to believe that Voldemort had returned. "And besides, Brynn," he continued, drawing her from her reverie, "did you honestly--honestly—think that you two could have been together much longer? He would have been found out, I'm sure of it. He was too much of a risk- taker, and you knew that, too. Not even an Auror as great as you could have saved him against all the Death Eaters present...and especially Voldemort himself."

She knew this was true, but the finality of it had hit her again. As she pulled herself from the floor, she brushed off her corduroy chinos and white blouse. This year was a new year, she knew, and by most rights was entitled to be a better year. Yes, Voldemort was back. She chuckled to herself at the way she dismissed this as a small inconvenience.

Brynn had always thought of herself as the best new Auror there was. Well, everyone admired the way she and Tonks changed themselves with a small pop during dinner. _Ouch_, she said. _Don't think of the Order right now_. But changing by merely thinking of change wasn't what made her great. Some wizards had even told her that she rivaled Mad-Eye...and even she had never thought of herself as that great. Granted, she did have a knack for catching dark wizards, but to be on the same level as Moody...she chuckled. She hoped they were comparing her skills and not her personality.

Right now, however, Brynn just wished she could turn off her brain. The thoughts and memories never ceased to amaze her. She found notes, scrawlings, photos—and seeing them made her break down emotionally and physically. This year was supposed to be better for her, and moreover, she wanted to focus this year on her studies and her cousin, Neville, who was a sixth-year student.

The feast began in two hours, and she was excited, yet extremely hesitant, to see Neville and the rest of the students who had been at the Ministry that terrible night. The storage closet door unbolted with a swish of her wand, and she retrieved books she would use in tomorrow's lesson. Brynn taught Muggle Literature, which was a class many took to "catch up on a bit of sleep" or to tuck in to a mid-class snack. Some children had even brought in a feast, including roast beef, shepherd's pies, and mutton. They had been disciplined, of course, but still...

_Sirius_, she sighed, placing books on desks, _How can I do this without you?_


	2. Beyond the Yellow Brick Road

_Disclaimer: I OWN NOTHING. No characters except Brynn. No nothing. At all. I mean it.  
_  
Chapter Two  
  
Brynn dragged herself down to the Great Hall. Students were filing in already, wearing their hats and robes. She passed the Slytherin table, from which some students cat-called and others hissed. Adolescent boys...god.  
She took her seat next to Snape and Minerva McGonagoll. Although Snape wasn't a favorite person, Brynn continued to sit next to him because he always seemed to be clear and concise. A pillar of strength was exactly what she needed in her life. Unfortunately, Snape wanted to be her pillar of strength a bit...er...too much.  
"Hello, Professor Flatley," he greeted her in his ceaseless monotone. "Looking stunning as usual."  
"Thanks Severus," she tried. "You look..."  
_Greasy!!!!!_ Her mind yelled.  
"Ready for a new year."  
"Well, I am rather excited," he droned, in a voice that seemed to make him sound anything but excited.  
"Right," she nodded, and turned to Minerva, who gave her a small smile.  
Actually, Minerva was more of a pillar than Severus. She had strongly urged for Brynn to accept that Sirius was gone forever, and Brynn could not change that._ Life was meant to be lived_, she proclaimed._ So live it!!!  
_ Students were filing into the Great Hall, their excitement buzzing like an annoying fly in one's ear. Brynn winced as she looked at Neville, Ron, Hermione, and Harry. She especially didn't wish to face Harry. After all, Harry had lost his godfather, just as she had lost her best friend. Sirius had been someone she could easily communicate with, and he was someone in the Order as well. They never had a problem discussing their concerns with one another, and Sirius was just as fearless as Brynn.  
But not even Brynn could stop Sirius from being...er, Sirius. Although she had tried relentlessly to prevent him from leaving the house at Grimmauld Place, she hadn't been able to stop him. There were even occasions that Dumbledore hadn't known that he'd gone out: only Brynn had known.  
_I'm warning you, Sirius. If you go out I'm not defending you to anyone. I won't stick up for you any more._  
_Don't you see that I don't care, Brynn? I'm dying here, wasting away in this house. I feel like I'm not really living; it's like I'm living to die. You don't understand. This is one thing you don't understand._ And then he'd look away, sometimes with tears in his eyes, sad, and other times with hatred, bitterness toward her.  
The words still rang in her ears: _This is one thing you don't understand.  
_ She didn't understand. She'd wanted to, but she couldn't.  
_What do I do?!_ She'd sobbed to her ex-boyfriend, Oliver.  
_Just be there,_ he'd said. _Just show him how much you care, how much you want to understand._  
_I do! I can't stop caring, Oliver! I can't!  
_ And she still couldn't.  
As fragile as she seemed, she could still recognize truth. And it was true that she and Sirius had had a doomed relationship from the beginning: he was a convict, still on the run, in fact. How would she take someone like that home to her parents? They weren't aware that Sirius was an innocent man. Because he was a felon, he couldn't leave the house, which made for some interesting dates...especially over Christmas when all they'd wanted was to be alone and they had the Weasleys, Harry, and Hermione there. Not that they didn't love all of them to death, but they had just begun discovering each other and it was hard to leave once they had let each other in.  
Brynn's reverie ended and she gazed around at the students. Her attention drifted toward the cat-calling Slytherins, whom she greatly disliked, and not only because she herself had been a Ravenclaw. The Slytherin boys in her class were terrible: they jinxed other students, put spells on their books that bound them permanently shut, and, until Brynn had learned her lesson, looked up her robes when she was wearing short skirts under them.  
Her first year at Hogwarts had been the hardest for her. It wasn't necessarily all the classes: she had one class that had everyone but Slytherins in it, and it was her favorite class of the day. It was also the class in which she'd met her boyfriend, Oliver. Oliver Wood had been the Gryffindor Quidditch captain that year, and he was so gorgeous Brynn fell apart every time he opened his mouth and his light Scottish accent tumbled out. However, she'd never thought of dating a student—the idea was preposterous and very Graduate-esque. But, most surprising of all, she'd never thought a student would want to date a teacher. But Oliver had surprised her.  
One day he came up to her as the rest of the class filed out, holding a copy of _Les Liaisons Dangereuses_ in his hands. He had been in her advanced literature class, and one of the brightest students.  
"Um, Professor," he began.  
"Yes?" Brynn had asked, her back turned as she erased the chalkboard with her wand.  
"I was just...wondering...if you could take...er...some extra..._care_ with teaching me..."  
Oliver had been getting exemplary grades all semester.  
"Pardon me, Mr. Wood?"  
"Well, um...I just meant...I just meant this." He leaned over and kissed her; it was a fast, light kiss, and Brynn's knees shook. Oliver was fabulous.  
She stared at him for a minute. "No, I think it's more like this," she said, and began kissing him again.  
Their relationship had been a healthy one, but they had called it off after Oliver had graduated, as he was going to play Quidditch with a famous team. Brynn was a bit hurt at first, though Oliver had seemed a bit more put out, but they had remained good friends.  
Her flashback was broken as she saw Draco Malfoy staring her way. She had no clue what he was looking at: she had the impression that Draco despised her, as he had dropped her class after taking it for one year. He constantly ridiculed her while in session, and she had once given him a tattoo on a very private place of himself when he'd had his back turned. She wondered, absently, if it was still there.  
Sadly, Draco wouldn't break the eye contact, and Brynn refused to give in to him. This little staring match continued until Dumbledore stood.  
"Welcome," he greeted, "To another year at Hogwarts..." 


	3. Back in Black

_Disclaimer: I own absolutely nothing. No characters except Brynn._

__Um, to anyone who actually reads my story, I hope the new and improved Chapter Two is up. For some reason it cut off when it said "Oliver had exemplary grades" or something like that...but BELIEVE ME, that's not where it stops!!! It stops when Dumbledore begins talking. So cheerio! My totally horrible English...Onward my friends, onward to Chapter Three...

Chapter Three  
  
Class.  
Ack.  
She was walking quickly, trying to make it to her classroom before students would begin arriving.  
"Yeah, that Professor Flatley, she gets around like a _record_," she heard a boy say.  
"Ho hum, pig's bum," she muttered to herself, clutching her books tighter to her chest.  
Back in her classroom, she retrieved a few books from the closet. Her Muggle Studies class had ended a few minutes before, and she'd desperately had to use the lavatory. In her haste, she hadn't had time to look at her new class list. Besides, this was the last class of the day and the light at the end of the tunnel was growing nearer and brighter.  
Advanced Muggle Literature covered the not-so-fun aspects of Muggle writing, such as Shakespeare, Austen, and Bronte, just to name a few. Students began arriving: Hannah Abbott, a few with a fourth-year look about them, and Hermione Granger. Claudia Polaski and Jenna Frasier hurriedly chose seats next to each other as they waltzed in.  
Knowing that this was probably as big as the class would get, Brynn began distributing books to the students. They were beginning with Shakespeare's _Julius Caesar_, which Brynn really didn't care for, but it was always fun dressing in togas.  
Brynn always made the students bring Muggle clothing into the classroom with them. In Advanced Muggle Literature, the students always dressed according to the time period of the book they were reading. However, because today was the first day of class, many students were sporting jeans and sweaters. A few choice students were wearing golfing knickers and plaid shirts (...those weird fourth-years).  
The students were loosely flipping through their books when the heavy wooden classroom door flew open and hit the wall with a resounding crash. Draco Malfoy sauntered in, dressed in black pants, a black turtleneck, and he had even placed a black beret on his head.  
Brynn covered her mouth and tried not to laugh, as did most of the other students. Hermione Granger let out a large snort and looked haughtily at him.  
"What's everyone laughing at?" he demanded. "I find nothing funny."  
The students and, incredibly, their professor, began shrieking with laughter.  
"Vacation in the south of France this summer, did you, Draco?" Brynn asked.  
"Why yes, Professor, as a matter of fact, I did."  
"What's with the beret, Draco?" asked one of the fourth years, who was truly in no position to be poking fun of anyone's dress.  
"Berets are a symbol of strength, you..." his face was red, but abruptly changed back to its normal pearly tone. "I'm dressing as a poet."  
Hermione threw her head back and laughed uproariously, as did Brynn.  
"I didn't take this class to be ridiculed." His voice was calm, but the rosy flush in his cheeks was beginning to creep back.  
"Sorry, Draco. Cheers. Cheers for dressing the part. Today we're beginning with _Julius Caesar_, class, so turn to Act One, Scene One."  
As they did as they were told, Brynn reached for her wand beside her.  
"Right, then. In the first act we have to assign characters to portray. Who volunteers for Flavius? Right then, Hannah." A strident POP! resounded throughout the room as Hannah's low riders and her small sweatshirt changed into a blistery-white toga.  
"Anyone up for Marullus? Good going, Mr. Fourth Year." POP! And so it continued until everyone had been given a part for the complete first act of the play. "Act One, Scene Two," Brynn announced. She was playing the role of Brutus as well, which meant that she and Malfoy, who had volunteered (_**VOLUNTEERED!!!)**_ for the part of Cassius, were reading together for most of the scene.

"'And so it is. For this time I will leave you. Tomorrow, if you please to speak with me, I will come home to you; or if you will, come home to me, and I will wait for you,'" Brynn finished.

Draco had been staring at her, looking...her eyes widened. _What?!_ She didn't like receiving that look from Malfoy! "_Cassius—line!"_ Brynn whispered.

"Oh, right." Ahem! "'I will do so: till then, think of the world.'" He continued reading his part, and Brynn stared at him. Why had he looked at her that way? A look of almost...almost..._admiration_. It was so strange to get a look like that from Malfoy, of all people. Even stranger how well- behaved he was being in class today...

Just as they finished Act One, the bell rang, signaling the end of the class period. "Right, class! Read Act Two and note well!" she called after them as they exited.

She turned her back and prayed no one was behind her. After a few minutes of rummaging through her drawers absentmindedly, she turned. No one was there. Brynn brushed her hair, which today was curly and braided in parts. She herself changed out of her toga and into a pair of jeans and a dark grey woolen sweater. Absentmindedly, she thought of Sirius and the way she hadn't thought of him all day...well, until then.  
Strangely, she didn't fall to pieces this time. She just picked up the note he had sent her last year, the year that Umbridge had been monitoring every single piece of mail that had been sent from Hogwarts and that arrived to the school. The note said, simply: _Always._  
The note had been comforting, and she had placed a permanent ink spell on it, so that it would never fade. It still looked exactly the same. And instead of weeping, as she would have done as soon as yesterday, she smiled at the note and placed it in her pocket.  
The song Sirius had sung her was repeating itself in her head...  
_This is for you, Brynn. You've helped me so much..._He kissed her, then laughed and yelled, _Hit it, boys!_ At which point an old record player came to life and belched out Elton John's "Your Song."  
  
_ It's a little bit funny, this feeling inside...  
I'm not one of those who can easily hide  
I don't have much money, but boy, if I did...  
I'd buy a big house where we both could live.  
If I was a sculptor, but then again, no...  
  
Or a man who makes potions in a travelling show  
  
I know it's not much but it's the best I can do:  
  
My gift is my song and this one's for you.  
And you can tell everybody that this is your song............_  
  
But the thing was, she really couldn't tell anybody that that was her song. Not even her own sister, whom she had lived with before becoming a teacher at Hogwarts. They shared everything, but even Niamh wouldn't be able to understand this one.  
Brynn could just hear her response: "An escaped convict, Brynna?! _Really???_ I can't believe this! Dating that old bagpipe man from Scotland was enough! Oh my! What if mother were here?"  
Laughing to herself and humming _her song_, Brynn walked down the changing staircases and into the Great Hall, thinking that though Draco Malfoy was in her class, Voldemort was back, and Sirius had been taken from her, this could be the beginning of a good year indeed.


	4. Make a Scene Malfoy, Go On

_Disclaimer: I own nothing except my character and my plot. Really, I don't.  
_  
A/N: My new Chapter Two was posted, so no more worries. ( Please review! No one's been reading, I guess I'll just go cry...  
  
Chapter Three  
  
Weekend!!!!!  
Because Brynn had a Muggle father, weekends when she was a child had been spent taking rides in her father's gorgeous 1958 Jaguar Roadster. However, because Hogwarts was teeming with ancient runes and spells, the Jaguar wouldn't even make it past the gate. Her father had left it to her in his will when he passed away, and since she had accepted a position to teach at Hogwarts four years ago, it had sat, undriven, for the past four winters—which was fine and dandy, as they were in England, not Arizona...driving a convertible in winter wasn't favorable.

For Brynn weekends were the best part of the week. It was the third weekend she had been back at school, and it was the first Hogsmeade weekend. School had been hectic lately, especially with a few of her classes. Surprisingly, it was not the class with Draco Malfoy in it; rather, it was the class with his mates, Crabbe and Goyle. Blaise Zabini was also in the class with them, and the three mates were positively atrocious. How Snape could stand them just boggled her brain, and furthermore made her steer yet further clear of him.

The weather, though just late September, had begun changing—leaves littered the front grounds as Brynn strolled toward Hogsmeade, dressed warmly in a hooded sweatshirt and jeans. She had changed her hair today, and it was short and highlighted blonde. Although she hadn't intended to disguise herself from the students, many gave her looks of confusion as to what a grown witch was doing walking with students to the village of Hogsmeade. Hardly any of them recognized her.

After exploring some of the shops in the village and seeing that none had really changed, Brynn headed toward the Three Broomsticks pub to buy a small drink and catch up on some reading. She took a seat toward the back of the room and within minutes was fully absorbed in her book. Though the book was intriguing, the pub was loud and she could hear snips of conversation. And, though a small potted plant that was eating remnants of biscuits from a previous customer very near to her, she could make out the deep, gruff voices of some students...Crabbe, Goyle, and Zabini to be exact. She'd heard their bets before. Last year it had been "Who can lay as many virgins as possible within x-amount of time." Ack. But she hadn't reported to Dumbledore, because she didn't want to cause trouble. Besides, most of the Hogwarts girls seemed extremely intelligent—or, at least intelligent enough to put a repulsive charm on themselves whenever those boys came near them.

But for the last three years, none of the bets had involved her. Unfortunately, this year things were changing for them. Maybe they had slept with all the Hogwarts girls they could. Maybe they thought it would be more of a challenge (though that didn't seem the case as she listened to their conversation). Maybe they thought of it as a competition: who could do it first.

"_Alright_," Zabini proclaimed, quieting everyone at the table. "The annual bet, begun every first Hogsmeade weekend. Slytherins before us have done bets, and now it's our turn. The seventh years haven't thought of anything—"he shot them angry looks, "—so it's up to us to continue our tradition. We've been doing these since last year ourselves, so we have some knowledge of what kind of bets we're dealing with here."

"Let's get as many girls as we can in one night!" a seventh year yelled.

"That's lame, really," Zabini proclaimed.

_Really, Blaise? Because I think that getting off with ten girls in one night would be one fucking spectacular feat._

"Um, right," Goyle said. Brynn rolled her eyes. Does that child ever think for himself?

"Drake, you got anything?" Blaise asked.

Brynn's eyes darted immediately through the plant and to their table, where Draco was, to her utmost surprise, shaking his head furiously.

"I'm not doing the bet this year." The table fell silent, and even Brynn was clutching her glass with such force she was surprised it hadn't shattered. "I'm not doing the bet this year, it's so moronic."

"Well, I'm sure he'll come around," Blaise continued with a fake laugh. "After he's heard our great wager."

"And what's your great wager?" another seventh year asked.

Draco did a small drumroll while maintaining eye-rolling status. "I think we should sleep with a teacher." Everyone but Draco, who was still doing his monotone drumroll, immediately fell silent and turned to Blaise.

"_What?"_

"Are you _crazy_?!"

"No way!"

"There aren't any teachers I would nail here," one complained, which started a whole new round of complaints about the lack of thongs, tiny skirts, and tight knickers in the staff department.

"Excuse me?" Draco butted in for the first time. "I don't think I'd like to see Minerva McGonagoll in a leopard-print thong, tight knickers, and a halter top." Which set everyone off again. _Just get to it_, Brynn thought. _It's bound to be me. Please God don't make it me._

"How about Flatley?" Blaise proposed. _You horrid bloody child!_ Brynn screamed inwardly.

"Flatley's good," one of the seventh years said.

"Flatley? No way!" another said.

"What? What do you mean, 'no way'?" Blaise asked.

"Well, I mean it's free admission to park in that garage, isn't it?" He began howling with laughter, as did the rest of the table. Brynn clenched her teeth and took another drink. _Great, here it comes,_ she thought. _More insults, ho!_ But then she started laughing because she hadn't meant to say _ho_ and mean it in the way they were applying it to her.

"Well let's add them up," Crabbe chimed in. (_Great, he and Goyle have brains now?_ She thought. _Spectacular_.) "The first year she was here—so what, our third year?—that's the year she was screwing Oliver Wood—the bastard—all year long."

"And our fourth year she was screwing Percy Weasley—remember, she came to the Yule Ball with him? But they got into a fight and then she walked out with Charlie Weasley!!!" a seventh year exclaimed oh-so-eagerly.

"Oh yeah, who was she banging last year?" Draco demanded defensively. "I didn't see her with anyone last year."

"Maybe she just wasn't displaying it," Blaise chimed in immediately.  
"Then why the fuck do you care?!" Draco yelled, causing everyone in the pub to turn and stare. "This all is utter shit! I can't believe you guys!" he looked at them, then suddenly grew calm again. "I'm leaving," he utter quietly, and strode out.

Brynn gazed back at him, wondering why the hell he was standing up for her.

"Um, right then," Blaise continued. "So, two hundred Galleons to whichever one of us nails Flatley by the end of the school year."


	5. I'm Pickin' Up Good Vibrations

_Disclaimer: I own nothing except my character and my plot. Really, I don't._  
  
The sex scene was weird. Didn't know how much to put in/leave out.  
  
I wish people would read. Cheers to my one reviewer. So basically cheers to Rocka! claps lightly Well done!  
  
Chapter Five  
  
She wished she could just leave.  
Classes had become hell on earth, and the only thing she was looking forward to was Christmas, which was three weeks away. Although it was a depressing holiday for her, it was better than hanging around this atrocious school and going to classes with Slytherins who had, for the past two months, been cozying up to her as much as possible.  
The only thing Brynn had anymore were fun memories. She leaned back in her chair and thought of Oliver...

------------------------------------------------- ------------------------

She and Oliver had been dating for two months—since October—but they really weren't able to openly express their affection for each other. As far as Brynn knew, not even Dumbledore knew about their relationship. Everything was being kept to a minimum: Hogsmeade weekends Oliver would come to her classroom and then they would go to her personal apartment-type space. There they had privacy and were able to do whatever they pleased—and whatever was _pleasing_—until the Hogsmeade students were to arrive in a half- hour's time, at which point she and Oliver would kiss goodbye, and he would continue on to his common room.  
The day school was being let out for Christmas holidays, the school was crackling with the electricity of hundreds of students waiting to blow off their homework for three weeks. In accordance with a rule made especially for the Weasley twins, all professors were ordered to stand outside their classroom doors during passing periods, so that perhaps the ruckus would be kept to a minimum.  
Brynn saw Oliver coming from a distance, but didn't think much of it...why should she? But as he drew close, she saw him point his wand above her head and she grew suspicious, especially as her corridor was the most crowded in the school at this time of day.  
He stepped up to her and nodded at the spot above her head, where mistletoe had appeared, then leaned over and gave her quite possibly the most dramatic kiss she'd ever received: he rammed his tongue down her throat and dipped her backward.  
When he released her, he began walking away backwards, then loudly declared: "Professor Flatley, all I want for Christmas is _you_!"  
Brynn's jaw hung open until passing period ended. Surely Oliver had thought through the consequences. Maybe not. She didn't know. But the reality was that even if Oliver hadn't thought of the consequences to his action, the whole school would surely know about it by the feast tonight..._Hopefully_, she prayed, _most of the students will have gone home early.  
_ Not a chance. She walked into the Great Hall to be faced with rousing renditions of "Professor and Oliver sitting in a tree, _K-I-S-S-I-N-G_..." from Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff tables, "Professor and Oliver sitting in a tree, _S- C-R-E-W-I-N-G_..." from the Slytherins, and a loud round of applause from the Gryffindors. The mixed emotions flying in the air hadn't prepared her for how to respond; thinking that really no response at all would be quite lovely, but as she didn't know how to manage that, she just smiled at everyone shyly and headed to the staff table, where she was quite sure Dumbledore gave her a small wink.  
"_Oliver_!" she hissed later that night as he sauntered into her bedroom, removing his school robes and looking quite smitten with himself. "I _hope_ you're _happy_!"  
He smiled widely. "I am! Never been happier."  
He put his arms around her waist and began kissing her neck...loud, annoying kisses at first, but after she'd stopped swatting him for kissing her in public, they turned passionate and hungry as he made his way back up her body to her mouth.  
"I've missed you," he groaned as he continued kissing, moving his hands to unbuckle her belt.  
"We were together last night," she sighed as he kissed along her panty line.  
"It seems like forever."  
A small moan escaped her mouth as he slipped off his boxers and pushed into her. It didn't matter how many times they'd done this before: each time was new and better, and just merely him entering her made her squirm.  
She clawed his back and he groaned into her neck, bucking her hips to his rhythm.  
He moaned loudly and she hushed him. "Oliver, you know McGonagall is next door..."  
"So..._ooooooooooh..."_  
"She'll...oooh...after what you did...............and besides, you're........."  
"I...oooooh _God_...."  
They came together as her hands clamped his torso and he ran his hands through her silky hair, and he spilled into her, making her shriek with pleasure.  
"I've never felt like this about any other girl," he panted, his exquisite Quidditch form holding her tight and stroking her cheek. "I really think I'm in love with you."  
"I think it's just great sex, Oliver."  
"No, I think we can make it, really..."  
"Lemme sleep on it, baby, baby," she sang as she cuddled closer to him. "Lemme sleep on it, I'll give you an answer in the morning..."  
  
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Oliver was absolutely perfect, and although Brynn was hesitant to become involved in a serious relationship, she sometimes thought that she and Oliver really could have made it if they wanted to. They were, in essence, perfect in their imperfections. In fact, though she hated to admit it, she realized that she and Oliver had made a much better match than Sirius and she. It wasn't just the fact that Sirius could never leave the house—that was the obvious reason. Really, though, she and Oliver were able to communicate so well to each other, and many times they could finish each other's sentences.  
Brynn attributed it to the fact that Oliver had been more exposed to Muggles, and he was a very academic person. He loved to read as much as Brynn did, and, surprisingly, when she told him about her lovely Jaguar he began asking her questions about it, knowing what it was.  
The truth was, she missed Oliver a bit...but she didn't know if it could work now. She'd heard from some students that he had a new girlfriend, though Brynn didn't know if it was the truth or not. She hoped it wasn't. _What are you thinking?!_ She yelled at herself and hit her hand.  
_Why am I irreversibly fucked up?_  
The truth was, Brynn was slowly beginning to get over Sirius (and maybe not so slowly. More like a speeding bullet.). The second truth was, most of the things the Slytherins had said were true: she really had had a lot of boyfriends, but she really hadn't slept with all of them. Some, actually, were mere acquaintances, and she'd never intended anyone to think that they were her boyfriends.  
Percy Weasley had been her biggest mistake (other than Bagpipe Man). He was so _pompous_, and really, that was the only word adequate enough to describe him. She'd really thought she'd give him something to remember the night of the Yule Ball, but in truth all he'd wanted to do was talk about himself, his job, and his new apartment. It drove Brynn crazy, and she went off on him for being a "selfish prick." She'd run out into the fairy gardens and found Charlie Weasley sitting by the pond.  
As Brynn had already planned a fun-filled evening for herself, and she'd worn her skimpiest knickers, she sat down next to Charlie, who was an old friend, and began to chat with him. So basically, what the Slytherins had said was true: she'd walked back into the castle and Charlie quite kindly (and willingly) escorted her back to her room, where he joined her for the evening.  
_And it was_ FANTASIC!!!!!!!! she yelled at the Slytherins silently.  
She sat and wished that she could use her DVD player and television on Hogwarts grounds, because she missed watching _Cruel Intentions_ on the weekends when she had nothing else to do.  
_Ho hum, pig's bum_, she sang to herself. It commingled with Sirius's voice singing "I hope you don't mind that I wrote down in words how wonderful life is with you in the world..."  
Brynn laughed as she thought of his atrocious singing voice, which reminded her of a field trip she would be taking her Muggle Studies classes (including Muggle Literature classes) on the day before Christmas break. They were to go to a small rented out pub in Muggle attire, _Which means absolutely no wands!_ she declared to her classes, and reminded them that if Lord Voldemort were to appear from the woodwork that she was still currently a practicing Auror. This seemed to raise their spirits.  
The class would be eating a Muggle meal, singing karaoke, and dancing. Brynn had hoped they would be able to see a Muggle movie before the dinner, but Dumbledore was uneasy about the students being out of school grounds for such a long time period.  
Brynn was hoping Draco would sit with her—this was the strangest yet most lucid thought she'd had all day. The fact was Draco had changed completely. He was the kindest student she'd ever had in class, and, surprisingly, was helping students with pronunciation and grammar when as early as last term he had ridiculed them before the entire class.  
What bothered Brynn now was the fact that Draco, most contrary to his fellow Slytherins, had moved further away from her these last few weeks, when before he'd stop after class to ask questions about the assignments and reading. She didn't know what change had come over him, but she really didn't like it. Really, she had grown used to and even looked forward to his presence.  
She turned back to her class agenda for all Muggle-related classes. The thought had crossed her mind to throw the students a large party just after they came back from the Christmas holidays, but she wasn't sure yet. The Muggle outing would be sufficient until possibly Valentine's Day.  
_Oooh, Valentine's Day would be great for the dance_, she thought, and marked it down. _Make a note to tell your classes to find dates and Muggle attire before then._  
With all her schoolwork completed, Brynn stood up, smoothed her jeans and shirt, and walked down to the Great Hall to partake of one of the house elves' fabulous dinner feasts.


	6. You Blew Me Off

_Disclaimer: I own nothing except my character and my plot. Really, I don't._  
  
Yay! One more review...by the way, if anyone has any suggestions as to which characters to submit this story under, it would be greatly appreciated. I really don't think anyone frequently types in Draco/Sirius, as my story was the only one listed.  
  
To drop-depp-gorgeous: Thanks for the positive review. Rest assured, Sirius will indeed come back, though it may not be for a prolonged period of time. (shakes head) The veil is a mystery to us all, my dear...haha...  
  
Chapter Six  
  
Brynn looked at the students as they skimmed through the magazines she had just passed out. It definitely seemed that the girls were far more excited than the boys: they were pointing to the long formal dresses and squealing with glee. The males, in contrast, had seen what tuxedos looked like, and, apparently knowing they would have to rent one, were conversing about whom to invite to the dance. These conversations were hushed and also almost as giggly as the girls'.  
It had been quite a long time since Brynn had worn a Muggle formal dress. She had gone to her neighbor's high school prom formal when she had been in her sixth year at Hogwarts. The experience had been great, in her opinion, and she couldn't wait to play dress up again, but was reluctant to go without a date. Dumbledore and Snape had both given her offers, but she had politely declined, reasoning that perhaps she should just go alone.  
As the bell rang, the students all filed out—except for Draco, who approached her desk for the first time in weeks. He had become distant and standoffish every time she spoke with him, so it surprised her greatly when he nodded and initiated conversation with her.  
"Er, Professor Flatley," he said awkwardly, "I was just wondering...er...if you'd like to go to the dance with me on Valentine's Day..."  
Brynn stared at his handsome face, amazed. "Well, um, Draco, I...oh my...um...well I hadn't really planned on taking a date."  
"Oh."  
His slowly registered this reality, and without a goodbye he exited the classroom. Brynn tried assuring herself she'd done the right thing—after all, she had already dated one student previously.  
So why did she feel so disturbed?  
  
A few nights later the entire Muggle Studies entourage walked to the edge of the Hogwarts grounds to where the Hogwarts Express usually brought them. Tonight, however, it was to take them to the train station in London, at which point they would all pile onto a large city bus. Brynn had told them through clenched teeth that if they made fools of her, she would have their heads. And they all seemed scared enough, so she felt somewhat safe.  
They arrived at their destination: a small catering hall. The students couldn't believe their eyes: there were people smoothing tablecloths, filling water, helping set up the karaoke machine. The buffet tables held steaming chafers full of food.  
"Wow," many of them intoned silently: they knew they weren't supposed to say things that might give away their oddness.  
"Go ahead and take a seat," she told them, and she herself chose one by the karaoke stage. She was soon joined by Hermione Granger and Ginny Weasley. Though the table was set for eight, no one else joined them except Neville, whom Brynn had greatly missed these last few months.  
Soon the students were in line at the buffet, taking heaping plates food. Brynn had reminded them that this was in fact a buffet, so they could help themselves to seconds, but they all wanted to get to karaoke it seemed like.  
The reception hall workers gave each student a sheet of paper and a regular ink pen. Brynn had planned to show a baby picture of each child with a number on the screen. The papers had numbers on them as well, and the students were to fill in the name of the student whose picture flashed across the screen.  
"_Draco Malfoy_," Hermione hissed to Ginny and Neville, and they laughed. The picture had been of a small baby with white-blond hair, his face seemingly already in his former trademark smirk. Brynn had placed a freezing spell on the pictures so the Muggle workers at the reception would not become suspicious.  
After tallying the votes, they found that Pansy Parkinson—of course, the biggest gossip in the classes—had won. Brynn watched in disgust as she leaned over and kissed Draco, who also looked disgusted and pushed her away. Brynn also looked on with further disgust as Pansy's hand reached under the table, and Draco once again pushed her away. Brynn looked away, revulsion overcoming her. What right did Pansy have?  
_ What right do you have?_ she asked herself. _Why do you care so much, Brynn? Why do you?_  
Mentally smacking herself, she watched as Pansy waddled her way up to the karaoke stage. _Great, what song of love and devotion will she be singing to her daaaaaaaaarling Draco?_ Brynn wondered condescendingly.  
Pansy called up one of her girlfriends to the stage, where they gave a screeching rendition of Cindi Lauper's "Girls Just Wanna Have Fun" while doing lewd gestures. Hermione dramatically rolled her eyes and slouched back in her chair.  
When Pansy and her friend sang "Some boys take a beautiful girl, and hide her away from the rest of the world. I wanna be the one to walk in the sun. Oh girls, they wanna have fun..." Hermione gave a loud snort of laughter, as did most other tables. Finally they finished. Brynn shivered as the strident sound rang in her ears.  
Students poured up to the stage, singing everything from "Rainy Day Women" to "I Will Survive." They made interesting dedications to each other, and everyone watched as they humiliated or even complemented themselves.  
Everyone watched as Crabbe, Goyle, and Zabini grinded with each other to "Gonna Make You Sweat," while periodically grabbing the microphone and screaming "_Everybody dance now_!" loudly and off-key. Brynn moved around the room, talking to some students while sitting at their tables and avoiding the Slytherins by moving around quite a bit. As she sat chatting with Hannah Abbott and a Hufflepuff named Anna, she noticed silence and stared as Draco Malfoy sauntered up to the stage. A loud alternative song began blaring and Draco looked directly at her. _How can he sing an alternative song to me?_ she wondered. _But I just hope this isn't some hate song because I blew him off as my date for the dance.  
_ "When I said  
  
'I love you,'  
  
You blew me off...  
  
it turned me on.

You blew me off—it turned me on!  
You blew me off—it turned me on!  
You blew me off, it turned me ooon!

All or nothing:  
More or less.  
You assault me ruthlessly:  
Oh you're the best!!!  
  
You blew me off...  
  
You don't understand, you see.  
You're not supposed to take on me..."  
  
The whole time he sang, he stared straight at her. As the whole room cheered for Draco's lewd song, Brynn felt her cheeks flush. Although she'd considered telling Draco she'd changed her mind, it seemed fitting to play his little game tonight.  
_But what song to sing?_ she asked herself as Draco finished with a vehement "You don't understand!"  
_And just how has Draco seen_ Cruel Intentions _before_? she wondered.  
As she was one of the few who hadn't sung yet, many people starting cheering for her to go up. She didn't want to play Draco's little _Cruel Intentions_ game, so she chose a song of a different caliber.  
"I can't sing, so no judging," she smiled as the music began playing. As she sang, students cat-called and cheered.

"What a wicked game you played to make me feel this way.  
  
What a wicked thing to do to let me dream of you.  
  
What a wicked thing to say you've never felt this way  
  
What a wicked thing to do to make me dream of you..."

She finished and the students cheered. The look she shot Draco was meaningful and lasted a full minute before either of them looked away. Though she hated to admit it to herself, she and Malfoy had a connection...  
  
A _very good_ connection indeed. 


	7. Deck the Halls

_Disclaimer: Gee, haven't I don't this before? I own no part of Harry Potter. I own my plot and Brynn Flatley. That's it._

Chapter Seven  
  
"Happy Birthday to me, you're an old woman now, happy birthday to me..."  
Brynn sang to herself in the shower. Today she turned twenty-four, which made her seven years older than Mr. Draco Malfoy, her date for the Valentine's Ball.  
She switched tunes: "And here's to you, Mrs. Robinson, Jesus loves you more than you will know..."  
As she flew on her broom, she continued singing songs from _The Graduate_. She felt like a positive cradle robber, but she'd had to accept Malfoy's invitation—after all, when you're positively smitten with someone you don't turn down their formal invite.  
As Brynn stepped into the Order of the Phoenix Headquarters, she knew that Draco Malfoy was not exactly the best person to be obsessing over. After all, Voldemort was back, and Draco's father, Lucius, was a known Death Eater; therefore, even if she'd felt comfortable enough with Draco to tell him about the Order, she wouldn't be able to for fear he would divulge the information to his father. There was also the age gap, which didn't seem so significant at the moment when compared with Voldemort's return.  
These things didn't seem to matter. Even though she knew Draco to be the resident Sex God of Hogwarts, this didn't seem to faze her. Maybe she could teach him a thing or two...  
_Naughty girl!_ she admonished herself as she knocked quietly on the door to the kitchen. _You shan't think dirty thoughts of Draco...well, not right this second._

Fred Weasley threw open the door. "BRYNN!" he exclaimed, hugging her fervently. "We've missed you!" George appeared and did the same. Brynn had the nagging feeling that they thought maybe now that Sirius was out of the picture...

Hermione gave her a zealous hug and wished her a Happy Christmas, as did Ron. She avoided Harry purposely: she felt they ought to have their own private chat after breakfast, and there was also a special gift she wanted to give Harry. Everyone chatted over their Christmas breakfast, exchanging anecdotes from school to Fred, George, and Mr. and Mrs. Weasley. Fred and George divulged great information about their new joke shop in Diagon Alley, Weasleys' Wizarding Wheezes.

"I said, 'I don't care what kind of class you teach, I will not stop selling these!'" Fred vehemently related to his parents. "As if we're supposed to stop the students from using the head-bonker Frisbees."

Mrs. Weasley looked agitated and turned to her husband. "Let's all open gifts as a family, shall we? After I tidy up—" she waved her wand and the dishes began washing themselves—"There, I think that's satisfactory. Let's go to the study."

As they retreated to the first floor study, Harry and Brynn walked upstairs to the drawing room. "How's your Christmas been so far, Harry?" she asked as she carefully chose a seat.

"Alright." He shrugged, giving nothing away.

"I've meant to talk to you, you know."

"Sure."

"Really, I have. And I've been meaning to give you this..." She pulled the package from under her arm and handed it to Harry. "I was cleaning my room at my sister's over the summer, and I found this."

He gingerly opened the package, which had been wrapped in flying Snitches. Seeing what it was, he ravenously finished opening the package. "Oh, wow!" he exclaimed, his eyes lighting up as he flipped through the pictures. "These are great!" It was a photo album filled with pictures of Harry's parents, Sirius, Lupin, and even herself when they had been young. Brynn's mother had been a friend of James Potter's parents, so they had all played together when they were younger.

"Of course, there I am, the one in the nappy," she pointed out, gesturing to a diminutive young girl, barely two years old, who was holding a wand in one hand and had a Sneakoscope in the other. "Already an Auror, though I'd stolen my mother's wand."

"And there's my dad!" Harry exclaimed, pointing to a teenaged twin of Harry's, mimicking everything, right down to the age. "That's right. Your parents were in Sixth year when I was just a baby," Brynn said, looking through the photos. In one, Sirius and James posed with Brynn, both holding her between them. Apparently the parents had thought this could be a nice picture: Sirius and James were wearing their best clothing, and Brynn was donning a gorgeous sundress, her golden curls falling about her face. However, every few seconds James would flick Sirius in the head, at which point Brynn would hold up a comb Sirius had handed her and would yell, "Wheeeeeeeeeeeee!!!"  
"This is so strange," Harry said, studying the photos intensely. "It's so strange that you all knew each other when you were little. I never knew that."  
"Yes, it is strange. And looking back now I realize how big the age gap between us was."  
"You and Sirius always seemed so close in age when you were together, though," Harry told her, grinning. "Well, actually, you seemed much wiser usually."  
Brynn laughed, remembering how childish Sirius could be. "I suppose you're right, Harry. I suppose I was the adult in the relationship."  
Harry paused at the next page, which was a photo of Harry's parents on their wedding day. Sirius stood beside them as best man, and Brynn, at age seven, was the flower girl. In the picture of the wedding party, they were all smiling: nothing of their coming fate was broadcast. They all looked incredibly innocent.  
"They're all so happy." He said it venomously, as if it were a curse. "I can't believe it. In just a short while, everyone had had their world turned upside down."  
"I know," Brynn whispered, tearing up as she turned the page and saw a twenty-one year old Sirius pick her up and give her a ride on his shoulders. He came back toward the camera, lifted Brynn and hugged her, exaggerating a kiss on the cheek and pantomimed an old man saying "Oh, my ickle, ickle Brynna. What would I do without you? My little angel..."  
After seeing a picture of Lily, James, Sirius, Remus, and Brynn, she and Harry decided to stop. They hugged each other, sharing a special bond that only losing someone can bring.  
He looked at her, very somberly. "You're all I've got now. Really."  
She nodded. "I know, Harry. God, do I know."

Sirius's voice was still ringing in her head: _My ickle Brynna. My little angel..._

_Merry Christmas to me._


	8. Auld Acquaintance Shouldn't be Forgot

_Disclaimer: Zilch (except ickle Brynna ;))_

Yeah, it's short. So sue me...it's my third chapter of the day and besides--how else would YOU end it? lol

Chapter Eight  
  
_Should auld acquaintance be forgot, and never brought to mind?_ Sirius sang to her on New Year's Eve last year, breaking the happiness she had felt before Christmas holiday. This statement was the exact one that she had been agonizing over all day. Was Malfoy enough? Was she being unfair to Sirius? After all, Malfoy's own father was there when Sirius had been killed.  
There was also the matter of Harry, whose one school enemy was Draco. This posed an extremely large problem, as Harry was like her son, but Malfoy was (hopefully)—_No not hopefully!_ she yelled—going to become her lover. It was, in fact, that she had brought about her own downfall. Or so it seemed at the moment.  
_Everyone dislikes Malfoy,_ she scribbled on a piece of paper. She was at her sister's house, watching the Muggle television to drain her mind. _Harry is like my son_, she scribbled next to her note on Malfoy.  
_ I haven't been laid in a year.  
What if this is all a set up, and he's going to take advantage of this whole situation? Malfoy knows that Sirius was loose last year. He doesn't know that I had dated him, and he doesn't need to know. But what if he asks?  
I haven't been laid in a year.  
Okay, maybe not a year.  
_ _But close enough._

She snatched a new piece of paper, on which she wrote at the top:

**Reasons Why I Should Not Have Sex With Draco Malfoy**  
  
1. He is a potential Death Eater.

2. His father is a known Death Eater.

3.Harry hates Draco.

4.Draco loathes Harry.

5.Harry is like my son.

6. What if he has some funky STD from one of his nastier Hogwarts conquests?

This can only become worse.  
  
At the middle of the page, she titled:  
  
** Reasons Why I Should Have Sex with Draco Malfoy.**  
  
1. I want to. Oh God, do I want to.  
  
She slapped herself. Literally.


	9. Monster's Ball

Chapter Nine  
  
Valentine Ball time!  
Brynn was practically jumping up and down with excitement. After she'd leaked her idea to Dumbledore, he'd decided that it should be a cultural affair for the whole school. After all, most students had no exposure to Muggle culture, especially as none were required to take a Muggle Studies class.  
Hermione and Ginny came to her apartment to prepare themselves for the dance. Hermione's sleeveless dress was bubblegum pink and flowed beautifully down to her pink stilettos. Brynn wasn't surprised at the way Hermione looked: after all, she did have Muggle parents.  
"Do you like it?" she asked Brynn and Ginny. "I bought it in Spain over the Christmas holidays. Mum and Dad really went bonkers over it."  
"It's wonderful!" Brynn breathed, looking at the swishing material, and Ginny quickly agreed.  
"Well, I'd best take it off while you do my hair," she said, having Ginny un-zip it.  
Ginny's dress was vintage, made of crinoline: she looked as if she were from the fifties, but because of the funky flair she had given it, it looked cutting-edge and striking.  
"I made it," she said happily. "Mum helped me a little, but I bought the fabric myself and made it."  
"It's fabulous," Hermione and Brynn intoned.  
"Your turn!" Hermione and Ginny squealed. "Before we do hair it's your turn!"  
Brynn smiled sheepishly. "Okay, then."  
She'd found her dress New Year's Day at a Muggle shop in Dublin, where her sister lived. The underlay was made of a blow pop-pink silk fabric, which was visible beneath the gauzy black overlay. The top had thin straps and the bodice looked a bit like a bustier, in that it was tight and it tied in the back. The dress ended just below her knees, and she chose to wear spiky black heels and carry a purse custom-made to match her dress.  
"You're stunning!" Hermione exclaimed, hugging her.  
"A vision!" Ginny proclaimed, also hugging her.  
Brynn removed her dress and heels and threw the small clutch onto a nearby chair. "Okay, hair time!" she said, herding the two into her small kitchenette.  
"I can't wait to see what Ron looks like in a tux!" Hermione giggled as Brynn used her wand to twist and curl Hermione's hair into an elegant style that suited her dress and made her look positively stunning.  
Ginny giggled. "I've seen him, 'Mione, but I'm not telling."  
Hermione laughed. "Well I've seen Zachary, so ha!"  
Ginny climbed onto the kitchen chair and she and Hermione turned grave.  
"So have you told anyone you're going with Malfoy?" Hermione asked.  
"No," Brynn admitted shamefully. "I can't believe the whole school is going to see us together!"  
"Well, it is just a date to formal, isn't it?" Hermione proclaimed in her practical way. "As long as you don't take him up to your room afterw—Don't look at me like that!!!" she said.  
"We both know you're absolutely going to be knockered over Malfoy. Believe me, I understand the whole sex thing," Ginny said. Ginny was competing with Brynn in the slut contest. Though Ginny, having just had sex three days ago, was winning the contest by far. This depressed the hell out of Brynn, who desperately wanted to win.  
"Well I want to win the fucking contest!" Brynn yelled.  
"Too bad," Ginny said, sticking her tongue out and laughing. She looked deep in thought. "You know, I never thought of it the way you just put it...but I guess that's what it is, isn't it? A 'fucking' contest."  
They braided and twisted parts of her hair until it was half up, half down. Braids and twists and pieces of fabric were sticking out from her head—but strangely, she looked gorgeous.  
"I'll fucking have sex if I fucking want to," she grumbled as they all donned their heels.  
"You'll have to go somewhere you won't be seen," Ginny said. "You don't want anyone to wonder about you any more, and you especially need to keep Harry in mind."  
"I know. Maybe I could go down by the lake...you know, in that small clustered group of trees and rocks."  
"No!" they screamed together.  
"It's fucking February, Brynn!" Ginny yelled. "You'll freeze your bum!"  
"I'm sure I'll get warmed up."  
They were all in stitches as they exited through her classroom door, Ron and Zachary waiting for them.  
"Um, Brynn? Want us to wait?" Ginny asked.  
"No, Ginny...er, I don't think it's a good idea, do you?"  
She looked stunned for a minute, ashamed for saying anything. "Oh, right! Let's go, guys!" and they began walking to the Great Hall.  
Brynn went back into her classroom, shutting the door. She was absolutely close to having an orgasm just thinking about Draco's spiky white-blonde hair and his pale, droopy eyes. Get here, get here. Or we won't even make it to the dance...well, there's an idea, she thought as someone knocked on her door.  
Draco stood before her, wearing a classic black tux with a black shirt and tie underneath the jacket. _Just three buttons on the coat, and ten on the shirt,_ she counted to herself. Let's get going, Draco. _Just thirteen little shirt buttons, one pants button, and one zipper are all that is restraining me from completely shagging you senseless right now._  
"You look breathtaking." He'd disturbed her reverie, and rightfully so. Goodness knows if she'd only continued.  
"And you as well. Classic."  
They stared at each other, and each second was like a lifetime, his pupils etched desire into her brain and every nerve of her body.  
"So...the dance."  
"Right...we should probably...go," she replied, still swimming in his blue irises.  
"Probably."  
"Only if you want to."  
"It would be a waste to not show off your dress."  
"It would be a waste to not let me exer—ahem—escort you."  
"It would be a waste of a gorgeous dress."  
"I could wear it again. It's really not a waste..."  
"You could wear it to a wizard ball, it really does look rather like a witch's dress."  
"But if you want to go," she said.  
"Of course, if you do."  
"Let me get my purse." She took a step and turned around, looking at Draco, who had also taken a step forward.  
They looked at each other intensely. Searing heat burned her entire body as she looked at him. _Count them again_, she told herself_. One button, two buttons, three buttons, four buttons, five buttons..._  
He moved one of his hands to tie a corsage of pink roses to her wrist. As he tied, flawlessly, he gazed at her, never once letting it falter. How she longed to touch the pale hand that tied the corsage, kiss the soft lips, moan under his hard body.  
She wasn't sure who made the move first, but suddenly before she'd had time to think, she was kissing Draco fiercely, her purse still clutched tightly in her left hand, which she moved to stroke his fine hair.  
Draco gently forced her backward, toward her apartment door, elegantly moving desks out of her way as she walked backwards, never once letting her lips leave his. Small erotic pinpricks were poking her entire body; she felt as if she were on fire, and she wondered how Draco felt.  
They reached her apartment door and she faltered while trying to open it. When it finally opened, they crashed through it, sending it slamming against the adjoining wall. Draco kicked it shut with his foot and finally their lips parted, just long enough for him to survey the surroundings.  
She hungrily reached for his jacket, but he shook his head and picked her up, swinging his right arm beneath her knees, and bringing his left under her shoulders. He carried her back to her bedroom, opening the door with his wand.  
When he set her down, he slowly removed his jacket, maintaining eye contact throughout. She darted to him after he'd lowered it to the floor, wrapping her arms around him and beginning to kiss his neck. He moaned softly as she gingerly removed his tie and began unbuttoning the first button.  
_One down, twelve to go_, she mentally counted. He lowered himself onto the bed and as she reached the fifth button on his shirt, she worked her way back up to his hungry lips.  
"I missed you," he whispered, kissing her hungrily and feeling his way up the skirt of her dress, until his hand came to rest on her upper thigh. She was crouching over him, looking hungrily at the rest of the buttons.  
As she kissed the soft patch of skin between his belly button and belt, he groaned and trembled slightly. Just as she'd undone the belt, he rolled her over and climbed on top of her.  
"Sorry, love, it's my turn," he said, and hungrily began kissing and lightly biting her neck. When he couldn't kiss her flesh any longer, he gently rolled her over and untied her dress, never hesitating and immediately getting it. God, he was good. She didn't even want to think of how many girls he'd done that to before he'd gotten that trick down.  
With only a pair of panties on, Brynn immediately felt self- conscious, but Draco just began his steady trek downward.  
"Don't worry, love, I'm the only one here," he whispered, comforting her. "It's just us, it's okay."  
He kissed across her panty line, making her moan.  
"Draco, right now," she pleaded. "Please."  
"Just a little longer. Oh please, let me do this just a bit longer..."  
She moaned as he kissed her into oblivion, until she couldn't take it any longer and she pulled him up to her. Rolling over on top of him, she finished taking his pants off. As she stroked him lovingly, hungrily, she could hear his hungry, waiting moans.  
Meeting his lips once again, she allowed him to roll her over. He gazed into her deep green eyes, reading her while stroking her flushed cheek.  
"I'm in love with you."  
She looked at him. "What?"  
"I love you."  
She gave him a teasing smile. "Show me how much you love me."  
He reached down to where his pants were on the side of the bed, and came up with a condom. "I've never seen a student so concerned about birth control."  
"You gotta have protection," he laughed.  
"I'm on the pill."  
"Well, then." He threw the condom across the room and resumed kissing her.  
His breath came faster as he slowly began to enter her. She raised her hips, causing him to push into her the whole way. It was her turn to give Draco a smirk.  
_The teacher has become...er, the teacher._ She stifled her laughter.  
He pumped in and out, faster and faster, until she began squirming under him and moaning. Knowing that she was near climaxing, she felt him tighten his grip on her, and he pushed harder. She clawed her hands into his back and moved them down, trying to push him further into her.  
They both began moaning and looked into each other's eyes. His gaze was so intense, so passionate...she felt herself rising to a level above humanity...she couldn't even hear her screams anymore, the waves were so intense. She felt Draco give a few final, deep pushes as she cried louder than she ever had before. He moaned while looking into her eyes, making her shudder and claw his back even more.  
As he came into her, they both let out a unified moan, which she was quite sure was a bit too loud but she really didn't care. Draco rolled over so as not to hurt her, but he rolled her toward him and began caressing her carefully.  
"I really do love you," he said, looking over at her. His face was flushed and his breathing was just beginning to slow.  
"I really care for you. I don't know enough about you to love you."  
"Well I love you. And I'm going to prove it to you somehow, if it's the last thing I do. I want to be with you forever; not being able to talk to you has been killing me. I'm in love. I want to spend the rest of my life with you..." he trailed off, falling asleep. As he drifted off, Brynn felt his grip tighten around her. 


	10. You're My Wonder Wall

_Zilch...except Brynn and plot._

Author's Note: It's short, and I know it. Ahhh! It's just that I've had the best idea EVER for my story and am trying to figure out when/where, etc. So don't worry, new chapter up soon!

Chapter Ten  
  
"And baby, you're gonna be the one who saves me...'Cause after all, you're my wonder wall," Draco sang to her.

It was Saturday night, just the end of February. She and Draco were laying in bed together, looking at each other's silky bodies in the candlelight. The Valentine's Ball had been held over a week ago, and Brynn was still taking slashes from teachers, especially Snape, about missing the ball. Everyone had wondered where she had been, and though she showed up toward the end, they weren't especially happy that she had delayed until then.  
"I'm sorry, some things came up."  
Dumbledore looked at her with a twinkle in his eye. "I'm sure some things...came _up_," he emphasized, and Brynn flushed.  
_Even Professor Dumbledore knows I'm a whore_, she thought. _Great.  
_ Things with Draco were really great. They met frequently; sometimes they stole a swift kiss during passing periods and other times, the best times, he came to her room at night and stayed there, either sneaking out at midnight or coming up to her room right after feasting in the Great Hall.  
He knew she was an Auror, and this came as a relief.  
"Well," he said, "the thing is, I'll bet any amount of Galleons that Father will be sent to Azkaban soon. With the new guards, the prison is practically inescapable...and I'm glad. I really have quite outgrown Father's ways. Before I was never able to think for myself, and now that I can I realize I don't want to follow in his footsteps...it's a terrible thing to follow a wizard like Voldemort."  
"But you still dislike Harry intensely."  
"Harry and I...I don't know. I'd like to be his friend, but he constantly provokes me. I'd like to prove to him that I've changed, and I'm not the Dark Wizard I once used to be."  
Brynn thought about that. She would have loved to believe Draco, but from her experiences with men, and people in general, she'd learned that it's very hard for people to change, and they rarely do. Her experience as an Auror had taught her not to trust anyone, and it was hard to think as a normal person thought...  
He looked at her with his wonderfully pale, sexy eyes. "Love me?"  
"Maybe."  
"Well I love you."  
This really bothered her. She wasn't used to someone proclaiming his love for her at every turn. She always needed to know the person thoroughly. Draco was a fantastic friend and student, and twice as good a lover, but Brynn really didn't know if she loved him. She had begun wondering if Oliver was the one she let get away.  
_Never mind_, she told herself.  
"_Will you still love me tomorrow_?" she sang, pitifully, to Draco.  
Sadly, he looked quite serious when he said "Of course." 


	11. Don't Let the Door Hit Your Ass

_Disclaimer: no nothing._  
  
Just wanted to say thanks to everyone who has helped my plot come along.  
  
Chapter Eleven  
  
Brynn awoke to something lightly pecking her arm. Her eyes fluttered, then she turned, looking at Draco sleeping peacefully beside her. She had thought it was him poking her, but after looking back, finding that the annoyance was still occurring, she found her owl, Vesta, with a small scroll tied to her leg.  
After untying the small note from her leg, she fed the owl and lit her wand tip. After looking at Draco, who was smirking in his sleep, she began reading her letter from the Ministry of Magic. She hadn't received anything from the Ministry since she'd begun teaching, but the emblem upon the parchment registered immediately upon view.  
  
_ 3 June _

_ Miss Brynn Flatley,  
Due to the unfortunate circumstances at hand, we wish for you, a  
registered Auror, to commit yourself to the Ministry of Magic for the  
summer. As we know you are a teacher at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft  
and Wizardry, there should be no problem in committing yourself for  
just the summer holidays.  
  
Sincerely,  
Annika Toscitch  
Witch Relations_  
  
Brynn gazed at Draco, who was still sleeping peacefully. She knew he was too innocent to understand many of the things that she underwent as an Auror, and she realized that the idea of Voldemort was just like a scary movie to him: in the moment he was frightened, but over a carefree period of time, the fear slipped away and was forgotten.  
Truthfully, Brynn knew that she and Draco were too different to make something work between them. However, hurting him was something she really didn't care to do. But she knew this summer, which had been designated as one to stay on with her sister, would be dreadful for their relationship. He wouldn't be able to understand or respect what she would be doing.  
She rose from the bed and sent the Ministry's letter to Dumbledore, hoping he would reply soon. After watching Vesta depart, she began showering. Yes, it was the middle of the night, but she really didn't feel comfortable lying with Draco any longer—it would just make her feel guilty now.  
Later, sitting in the kitchen, she watched as her sister poured coffee from her Muggle coffee maker, spooning cream and sugar into the steaming glass.  
"I don't know," she said to Niamh.  
"And this is...very important?" Niamh asked. She was her father's child from a previous marriage, so she really didn't understand the supremacy of Voldemort.  
"Yes. I know I should do it."  
"So what are you so worried about? The man sleeping in your bed? Please! If every woman in history gave up a great opportunity for a man, where would we be?"  
Brynn looked at her plate of food, knowing that her sister was right.  
"Well?" Niamh demanded.  
"I know you're right. You're always right," Brynn smiled at her.  
"I know I am. And I know that your heart isn't even with this...this boy anyway," she spit. "It was with...what was his name? Oliver. I know you had someone special last year, and you made a big deal of it, but I'm sure you know that Oliver was the one you messed everything up with. Who knows? Maybe the reason you've dated so much was because you were trying to find another Oliver. You need him. I know you do."  
"How did this turn into a discussion on my love life?"  
Niamh laughed, and Brynn thought how evil it sounded. "It always does, doesn't it?"  
_She's one to talk, being forty and unmarried._  
Just as Niamh left for work at a Muggle office, Draco appeared in the kitchen doorway.  
"I was looking for you, love," he said as he walked into the room, seating himself next to her. "Why are you up so early?"  
"Um, Draco, let's talk," she said, rising to get him something to drink. "Is tea alright?"  
"It's fine...er, why do we have to talk?"  
"Well, it's just..." She sat the tea in front of him, juxtaposing it with a decanter of milk. "Some things have come up."  
"What do you mean?"  
"I mean I've been called back to work as an Auror for the Ministry again."  
"Because of...Voldemort, you mean."  
"That's right."  
"But we've just begun the summer together. I thought we could—"  
"Well that's the thing, isn't it? I really think that I should focus my attention on the Ministry right now...I have some unresolved business I need to rectify."  
"So you're leaving me?"  
She looked at him. "No, not leaving. I just need a break over the summer so that I may be able to heal some spots. I'd like to devote my whole self to you, but I really can't right now."  
His head fell, and she reached out to touch him. "It's not you, Draco, really. There are just things about me that would make you..."  
"Make me _what_?" he asked defiantly. "I love you unconditionally."  
She began to grow annoyed with him. "Draco," she sighed, "you're too young to understand unconditional love."  
"No, I'm not! I would love you no matter who you've been with, when, where, what you used to be! I never want to leave you!"  
"I was beginning to care for you and suddenly we're fighting! If you loved me so fucking much, why aren't you letting me do this one little thing? You know I'll come back to you! It's for one _fucking_ summer!"  
He looked at her. For a moment, she wasn't sure what he'd do, and then he advanced toward her to hug her.  
She backed away, looking disgusted. "I'm a bit angry right now, I don't feel like hugging."  
"Well, I'll just leave then."  
She looked at him. "You do that."  
He began gathering his things, and she watched as he began walking toward the door. She had the urge to hug him and tell him not to go, but all she managed was "Draco, if you understand true love so much, you'll understand that we'll find a way to make it work."  
He slammed the door.


	12. Naughty Girl: No More Draco

_Disclaimer: I own only my plot and my character._  
  
Chapter Twelve  
  
Her cubicle looked exactly the same: posters of wanted wizards were strewn about, the prisoners gazing at her warily. A picture of Brynn and her sister was smiling back at her, their faces burned and their clothes revealing: it had been taken on vacation in the Australian Outback.  
She looked around: Aurors were reading inter-departmental memos and talking to each other, each about a different wizard. A self-propelled paper airplane landed on her desk and opened, revealing a hunted man.  
  
_**WANTED**_: You-Know-Who. Dead or Alive. Galleons upon Galleons to  
whoever catches him.  
  
Brynn gazed, transfixed, on Voldemort's slit red eyes and nonexistent  
nose.  
"Catching up, are you?" a bitter voice asked from behind her, causing her to jump from her chair.  
"Oh, hallo Tad," she said, relieved.  
"Back, are you?" he asked.  
"Just for summer."  
"Oh. We've missed you," he said, finally smiling. Tad's demeanor was frequently off-putting to most at first, but after meeting him, one found him to be quite a lovely man. He was a middle-aged wizard who was still quite a good Auror. Brynn glanced at his Muggle tie that had been bewitched with his children's smiling and gurgling pictures.  
"Is that Elaine?" Brynn gasped.  
"Yes, she's really growing, isn't she?" he asked, smiling.  
"Last time I saw her she was in diapers!" Brynn exclaimed, looking at the young redheaded witch in the photo.  
"It's good to have you back, Brynn," Tad said, smiling and gripping her shoulder. "It will be good to have some experienced help around here." He leaned in closer. "All these newbies are terrible. Can't tell a dark wizard from a Squib. We'll be lucky to ever catch...er...Vold...er, _You-Know- Who_."  
Brynn frowned as she looked at all the new faces. "Are you the only one left?"  
He shook his head. "Well, we still have some of the old ones, but they're rarely here. You know the new ones; they just sit in the office all day, reading the new memos! I can't believe it! I'm about sick with frustration."  
"That's terrible. Hasn't anyone addressed this at a meeting?"  
Tad rolled his eyes and snorted. "Fudge has been attending the meetings. What a nutter. If I had a Galleon for every time I've had the urge to...well...hardly appropriate...well let's just say I really should have quite a bit of money."  
Brynn laughed at Tad the way she used to. Before Oliver, before Sirius, before Draco. It felt good to be back the way she used to be.  
"Care to walk to the meeting together?" he asked, offering his arm.  
"Of course, _daaaahling,"_ she drawled.  
  
The days were passing rapidly, and Brynn couldn't wait until she was able to actually leave the office and hunt a dark wizard. She finally had her chance three weeks into the job, when she and Tonks were to investigate a possible Death Eater meeting place.  
They dressed in raven-colored robes, and as they neared the door they pulled their hoods over their eyes, shielding their faces. They'd disguised themselves as best they could, making their skin as white as skim milk and their hair as black as onyx. Brynn's eyes were a deep, dull black and Tonks had made hers a cutting blue.  
Due to a tip-off, she and Tonks knew the password when it was asked, and they sauntered inside as if they owned the house. A dark shadow glided toward them, and as it neared it removed its shadowy hood, revealing a pale- skinned face that looked disdainfully at them.  
"You are with the Dark Lord?" the man asked, his long, pointed nose glaring at them.  
"We are," they said together.  
"Reveal yourselves," he said.  
Simultaneously, the girls drew the sleeves of their robes and revealed the Dark Mark that was semi-permanently tattooed in burning black ink. The wizard leaned over and inspected the marks, prodding them with his wand while murmuring an incantation. The girls tried not to squirm as a searing pain shot through their arms, and they prayed that the spell they had put on the marks would last.  
It did, and finally they were given approval.  
"The meeting begins in ten minutes. We're glad that you're early," the wizard informed them, walking toward what they assumed to be the meeting room. They followed, shooting each other condescending glances. It seemed fitting.  
Death Eaters were gathered in a dark black room, which Brynn silently compared to Edgar Allan Poe's room in "The Masque of the Red Death," and she shivered next to Tonks. The meeting commenced, and everyone gave full attention to...  
_Oh no_, Brynn silently whispered. Lucius Malfoy was standing at the end of the room, demanding everyone's full attention.  
Brynn's slanted black eyes gazed haughtily at him, and he looked at her with interest. No no _no_.  
"To begin," he said, still looking at her with mild interest. "We have gained information from unknown sources as to how to recover those lost behind the veil in the Department of Mysteries. We may now retrieve our lost friends who disappeared behind it."  
Brynn's face remained calm as Lucius continued to stare at her. Did this mean Sirius would be able to return? She listened intently as Lucius described the method used to recover lost witches and wizards.  
One wizard raised his hand.  
"Yes, Lestrange?"  
"Shall we retrieve those who are not ours?" he asked, a delightfully evil glint playing in his eyes as he fingered his wand longingly. "Perhaps give them a bit of a thrill before heaving them back into it?"  
Lucius smiled a dreadful, wicked smile that sent chills to Brynn's soul. "Perhaps. That is a very, _very_ amusing idea."  
Bellatrix Lestrange raised her hand, wishing to speak.  
"Yes? My dear sister-in-law," Lucius inquired.  
"Shall we remove my dreadful cousin, Sirius _Bloody_ Black, from beyond the veil?" she asked. "That would be terribly fun." A devilish grin spread across her face as she looked at Lucius.  
"Another great idea from Bellatrix," he said. "We'll have these two ladies—" he pointed at Tonks and Brynn—"retrieve Sirius Black, and they shall bring him to these headquarters. Here we shall each have a turn to torture him in a manner that is fitting...maybe perhaps repay him for drawing attention from us by escaping from Azkaban."  
After adjourning the meeting, Lucius approached Tonks and Brynn, never luring his gaze from Brynn's dark eyes.  
"Are you ladies comfortable retrieving Sirius Black?" he asked, using his infamous Malfoy charm that had made Brynn desire...er..._his son_ so badly.  
"Quite comfortable," Brynn said, her gaze intent. _I might as well play along.  
_ "Good," he said, smiling charmingly. "The next meeting is a week from tonight. It would be appreciated if Sirius were brought with you."  
"Fine," Brynn responded, pretending to size him up.  
"Until then," he said, bowing and taking her hand.  
"_Au revoir, homme charmant,"_ she crooned.  
She and Tonks appeared in the twilight outside the headquarters and Apparated to the Ministry of Magic Auror Headquarters, shedding their disguises with small Pop's and looking at each other. They immediately burst out laughing.  
"We'd better file the paperwork," Tonks laughed.  
As she and Brynn began walking to the back row of desks, Tonks began humming "Brynn likes to get off with Malfoy boys, Malfoy boys, Malfoy boys..."  
Brynn shoved her, laughing so hard she could barely walk. "Stop it, Tonks!"  
"Oh come on! Don't tell me you weren't having fun—you were seriously considering things back there!"  
"No I wasn't!" Brynn cried, feigning innocence. "I was a perfect lady."  
"You're going to give him _BBS_!" Tonks cried, practically pissing herself from laughing.  
"I hate you..._NYMPHADORA_!" Brynn laughed.  
_Blue ball syndrome. Har-dee-har-har._  
"Brynn likes giving the Malfoy boys bluuuuuuueeeeeeeeeee baallllllllsssssssssssssssssss......." she sang loudly.  
"Tonks, shut the hell up!" Brynn yelled.  
"Lucius and Brynn-a, sitting in a tree, _K-I-S-S-I-N-G_!" Tonks yelled.  
"Enough!" a voice shouted, and they both turned. It was another Auror's picture, which had been snoring gently until all the yelling had commenced. "People are trying to sleep around here!"  
"Right, sorry," Tonks said, turning to the paperwork. "Should we go to the Department of Mysteries now and get Sirius, or should we file the claim and then go to him?"  
"I thought we could fill out the paperwork about the Death Eaters, get Sirius, then send the information for the roundup," Brynn replied.  
"That sounds like the best idea," Tonks said. "Let's don the beloved costumes again."  
After changing into their Death Eater costumes in a restroom, they emerged and headed for the Department of Mysteries. Because they were Aurors, they had rights to every department in the building, including passwords to all doors within the departments. Tonks pulled a list from her pocket, tapped it, and an intra-departmental list of passwords appeared.  
"_Crystal ball_," she said, and the door to a dungeon opened, revealing the veil, which whispered softly to Brynn as they drew nearer.  
Tonks carefully followed Lucius's instructions, repeating incantations and finally whispering "_Accio, Sirius Black,"_ into the tip of her wand, which magnified the sound once inside the veil.  
Sirius, straggly and strangely vacant-looking, appeared swiftly through the veil. He gazed at them with fear, mostly because of their disguises, but after they had changed back to themselves his eyes registered utter joy.

"Tonks!" he exclaimed, hugging her.

He gazed at Brynn, amazed. "Brynna," he whispered.

Immediately Brynn was ashamed of everything she'd done since Sirius had gone, which was to say, she was ashamed at even the thought of what had occurred with Draco Malfoy. Her eyes welled with tears.

"Sirius."

They stared, transfixed, at each other until Tonks nudged Brynn. "We'd better go send the claim in. Let's change back."

They immediately donned their disguises and headed for the Auror Department, Sirius covered in an invisibility cloak. After the paperwork had been sent to an on-duty Auror team, Tonks and Brynn changed back to their normal selves and began leading Sirius to his house at Number Twelve, Grimmauld Place. It was no longer the headquarters for the Order, but it was still accessible only via Albus Dumbledore.

Brynn retrieved the small piece of paper from her robe pocket, muttered the spell, and Sirius's house appeared. After ushering him inside and past his mother's portrait, they led him to the large downstairs kitchen, where he was finally able to remove the cloak.

Tonks, looking as if she'd like to do anything but, offered to leave and return in the morning with Dumbledore. Sirius and Brynn bid her farewell as she Apparated from the kitchen.

Sirius stared at Brynn.

Brynn stared at Sirius.

Finally, they embraced, and Brynn clawed his back, crying hysterically. His hold grew tighter, suffocating her, until finally they stepped back and surveyed each other. His hair, which Brynn had trimmed just prior to his disappearance beyond the veil, was now unruly and desperately in need of trimming and washing. He had been wearing new robes the day he'd gone, and now they were ripped and desperately in need of patching. _Though_, Brynn thought, _It would be quite easier to just throw them out._ But his face was no longer gaunt and drawn. He looked much like the Sirius she had grown up with—handsome, with a nice healthy face and body. His cutting green eyes were bloodshot from crying, and his body was trembling from the sobs. He was absolutely gorgeous, and at the moment she couldn't even place what Draco Malfoy looked like.

"I've missed you," he said.


	13. Ticking Clocks

_Disclaimer: I own nothing of J.K. Rowling's. I appreciate her work greatly, but I own none of her characters._  
  
Author's Note: Okay, the first part's shit. But the second part....the second part is really nifty! ....right, if you haven't seen Chicago that probably went completely over your head.  
  
Chapter Thirteen  
  
_SMACK!_  
_Okay, so maybe cleaning up wasn't such a good idea,_ Brynn thought, rubbing her smarting forehead. She looked down at the lamp resting on the floor. _Ouch._  
Sirius was in the shower, hopefully scrubbing off memories of the veil. Brynn had decided to clean up the house a bit, since it had gone scrappy after The Order had abandoned it for its new location, which was much more secure than Grimmauld Place—which was saying a lot, considering no one knew where Grimmauld Place was.  
She looked up from the floor to find Sirius standing in the doorway, looking quite lovely in his new black robes and especially well with his new haircut and clean-shaven face. Brynn had given his hair quite a cut before he'd showered, making him appear ten years younger.  
"Oh, are you the housekeeper?" he asked playfully. "Do you cook as well? How about a nice shepherd's pie and hmm...for pudding, a nice Knickerbocker glory..."  
"Oh, of course, sir," Brynn smiled, then with a small _POP!_ transformed herself into a French maid, complete with feather duster and lace-up high heels.  
Sirius smiled at her as she changed back to herself: a curly-haired brunette sporting a moss green pea coat and jeans. The white shirt she wore beneath the jacket had dust spots on it, and she could feel the dust on her face as well.  
As if on cue, Sirius advanced toward her, using his thumb to remove a spot of dust from her nose. He embraced her, placing his hand at the small of her back as he had always done. When he leaned to kiss her, she hesitated and pushed him back slightly.  
"Er, umm..." she began, looking at his confused face.  
"What's wrong?" he asked, not understanding.  
"I..." she looked at his caring face, wondering how she could have been such a bad, _bad_ girl. "I really need to tell you some things."  
"What is there to tell? Unless it's something along the lines of Voldemort being obliterated."  
With that comment, Brynn realized that Sirius hadn't heard the prophecy yet, and that, in fact, could be more important to him than she and Draco Malfoy's relationship. After all, Harry was his godson.  
"Well there are a few important things," she said, looking him squarely in the eye.  
She led him to a nearby sofa and sat him there, never letting her glance falter.  
"So what is it?" he asked. "Tell me now. Anything about you or Harry, I want to know right now." He took her hand in his.  
"Well, had Dumbledore ever told you the prophecy?" she asked.  
"Harry's prophecy?"  
"Yes."  
He looked at her strangely. "Harry dropped it. I wasn't aware Dumbledore knew what it contained."  
Her face twisted. "Sirius, Dumbledore knew. He knew but he told Harry first, after he'd dropped it...he told the rest of the Order afterward. Er..."  
"Well what was it?" he demanded, leaning closer.  
"Er...well..."  
"Just tell, Brynna! I can handle it!"  
"Well...okay..." She looked at him. "It's...okay, okay...the prophecy stated that only Harry can cause Voldemort's downfall. Either Voldemort is killed, or Harry is killed."  
She looked at Sirius as his face registered this fact. It was darker, withdrawn, as he contemplated the matter at hand.  
"Harry or Voldemort."  
"Yes," she whispered.  
"Oh God." For an instant he looked extremely aged, and Brynn was truly frightened. The last time she'd seen Sirius look so terrified was the moment before he'd slipped behind the veil. He looked at her, studying her expression, which had stayed calm. His hands ran anxiously through his hair.  
"Well what else?" he asked finally.  
"Pardon me?"  
"What else did you need to tell me?"  
"Oh, right. Er..." Somehow telling him about Draco was harder than telling him about Harry's prophecy.  
"I know it has to be the reason you wouldn't kiss me," he admonished covertly.  
She stared at her hands, which were resting in her lap.  
_I've been a bad, bad girl. I've been careless with a delicate man_...Fiona Apple sang to her. _It's a sad, sad world when a girl will break a boy just because she can..._  
"Sirius, I was with someone else this past year. It began in February and I ended it three weeks ago."  
She looked him straight in the eye, and he stared.  
"Excuse me?"  
"I was with someone else."  
"In a relationship? Did you...well, you know...did you sleep with him?"  
She nodded, turning her eyes to her lap again.  
"You did."  
"Yes, Sirius, I _did_," she said, sharply turning her focus to him.  
"You did."  
"Yes, Sirius. I have told you I did."  
"Stop."  
"I'm sorry," she said, ashamed she'd been so shrill.  
"Who?"  
"Pardon me?"  
"Who is this guy?"  
She coughed. "Well, er...that's the thing."  
"Go on, then." He looked quite tried.  
"It's..."  
"Well spit it out. I'd really care to know who my competition is."  
"There's no competition, Sirius!" she exclaimed. "God, comparing you to Draco!!!"  
"Draco............" he thought. "_Malfoy_? Harry's arch enemy!" His face turned red as he stared at her. "You're kidding me!"  
"No, I'm not. I'm really not kidding."  
"Oh no. No no no. You're joking. Well...I mean he's nothing but a child! And an evil one at that!" His eyes drilled holes in her. She ached down to her core.  
"He's changed, really he has."  
"How do you know he's changed? His father is a known Death Eater!!! I can't believe this!"  
"I'm sorry." It was a fragile whisper, and it broke halfway between her mouth and Sirius's.  
He looked at her for an eternity. When he spoke, his voice was a whisper. "I'm here for a short amount of time. All I wanted was for everything to be perfect."  
"Nothing is perfect," she responded automatically, then registered what he said. "A short amount of time?"  
He looked at her, studying her face intently. A tear escaped his eye as he looked at her, then looked away. "Coming back from the veil doesn't last forever. You should have known that, Brynn. You of all people, being an Auror."  
She looked downward. "How long?"  
"One month."  
She bit her lip as she felt the tears welling in her eyes. "...That's...that's...it?"  
He nodded, and she began weeping silently. Though he was sitting just beside her, he didn't reach to comfort her. As a babbling idiot, she began relating her apologies.  
"God I'm so sorry I was with Draco. I'm sorry for even thinking of other men. You have no clue how much I've thought of you lately, especially now that I'm back at the Ministry. Every day, Sirius. The more I think of you the more it hurts me inside...  
"And I still can't get over not being there to fight Bellatrix with you. I can't forgive myself. If I had been there, maybe we could have fought her together and—"  
"Oh, Brynna," he murmured, reaching over and smoothing her hair. "You had no part in my going beyond the veil. It was all my fault—I never should have taken the warning seriously. I should have known it was all a big con."  
She sobbed into his shoulder as he stroked her hair, soothing her.  
"I can't do this without you, Sirius," she sobbed. "Even if we aren't together, I need you as a friend. Don't leave me again. Please. Please..."  
"I have to go back...but let's make the most of the time we have together..."  
She hiccoughed into his shoulder and he pushed her back, wiping the tears from her eyes with his thumb. "I don't know how much fun I'm going to be knowing you're going to leave me again."  
"People overcome things mysteriously," he said. "You never know how it will be until you're in that situation. But please, for me, Brynna, please just be happy...for me...please...please..."  
She leaned into him and pressed as tightly as she could. "Just hold me now, Sirius. Please."  
He stroked her hair and settled further into the couch. "Sometimes it's nice just to have someone to hold," he breathed into her.  
"Isn't it, though?" she responded, resting her right hand on his chest.  
  
She woke with just her knickers and bra on. _What the hell?_ she wondered. _I wasn't that knackered last night._  
"I've never known you to be so wild in bed," Sirius laughed, carrying a tray of breakfast to her as she sat up.  
"What happened?" she asked hurriedly. "We didn't...?"  
"Oh, no," he laughed. "Sorry, I know it seems peculiar. No, the funny thing was...I laid you down in bed...must have been too warm in the room last night...at every turn you took off another piece of clothing." He bit into a piece of toast as she poured milk into her tea, looking at him. "Quite nice for me, really," he said thoughtfully, looking over at her and smiling.  
"Sod off!" she laughed, smacking him playfully. "Though I do remember it being rather warm...I bet this room hasn't been properly aired since the Order left!"  
"Probably not," he said, finishing off the toast. "You look flushed...would you like a shower?"  
"That sounds nice," she said, running her fingers hastily through her gritty hair. "I feel horrid."  
"Off today, then?" he asked carefully, as if expecting her to jump at this. He was even gripping the tray.  
"Yes, off for three days actually," she said.  
"Lovely."  
She smiled at him and took a piece of toast. It tasted lovely, and she realized she hadn't eaten since midday the afternoon before. "I'd best be off for a shower, then," she said, rising carefully so as not to disturb the tray.  
"Nice knickers," he said, watching her walk out. "I've always admired a nice pair of knickers."  
"I bet you have," she retorted, throwing him a smirk as she walked to the hallway.  
She popped into the bedroom a few minutes later, sporting only a towel. "This place is really the pits, isn't it?" she asked, smiling. "Look what I've found in the loo!"  
Brynn held up a pair of her nice jeans and a sweatshirt. "Freshly cleaned, just waiting for me!"  
He laughed and watched as she slipped them on. "Don't they need aired just a tad?"  
"No, they're fine actually, want a sniff?" she asked.  
"No, I think I'll pass. Cheers."  
She took the tray from him as he polished off the last bit of his tea. "Thanks for the breakfast," she said, giving him a small kiss on the cheek. "Really nice of you."  
"It's no problem," he said, following her to the kitchen. He'd already cleaned himself up and was wearing a pair of nice Muggle chinos and a sweatshirt as well. Brynn had given him one of her Oxford ones. She wondered idly if it still smelled of her perfume and shampoo, but decided against taking a whiff.  
Brynn began washing dishes with her wand, giving them a few extra swishes around in the water. Sirius watched her absently, his face propped up by his hands. He was studying her every move, memorizing it and engraving it into his memory. Sadly, she couldn't help but wonder if he was doing this to benefit himself when the time came to leave her again.  
"Shall I bring Harry to you today, then?" she asked. "I'm sure the Dursleys won't mind him being gone."  
"That would be fantastic!" he exclaimed, still studying her. "I'll try to tidy up while you're gone."  
"Great! I think I'll just go after we have tea this afternoon," she said, directing the dishes into the cupboards. When the final cupboard had slammed shut, she turned to Sirius.  
"What to do now?" she asked.  
"I want to hear absolutely every little gritty detail about this Draco Malfoy boy, up until you two broke it off," he said, approaching her.  
"And if I don't?" she asked mischievously.  
"Then I'll just have to hold you down and tickle you to death!" he exclaimed, giving her a bit of a preview. She squealed with torture as she fell to the floor. How she hated being tickled, and how he knew it.  
"Okay, okay," she conceded, though she really hadn't put up much of a fight. "I'll tell you already!"  
They sat at the table and Sirius began the Spanish Inquisition. "So, how'd you and _Drakey-boy_ meet and get off?"  
Brynn laughed at the horrid nickname and the idea of "getting off" with Draco. "He was in one of my classes. He asked me to this idea I had—the Muggle Valentine's Ball...like a Muggle prom, you know. Well we just...we just never made it to the prom."  
"_Tsk, tsk_, Brynna. A good girl waits," Sirius laughed, looking at her across the table.  
"Oh, as if _we_ waited!" she huffed, rolling her eyes sarcastically.  
"Oh yes we did wait!" he exclaimed, taking a nip of his water. "We waited two whole days!"  
"Oh blimey, someone call the Twisted Knickers Squad," Brynn said drably, rolling her eyes again.  
"Two days is a long time when you've been in prison, then hiding," he said seriously. "I was ravenous."  
She eyed him. "That is quite possibly the shoddiest line anyone's ever spoken."  
He laughed and began his questionnaire once more. "So, what did this Draco boy possess that a man of my like doesn't?"  
"Well, he...er...I don't...er..."  
"Did he do...this?" Sirius asked, leaning closer and very lightly, as if it hadn't happened at all, kissing her neck.  
Brynn shivered at his touch. "Don't do this to me."  
"Do what?" he asked innocently.  
"You know exactly what you're doing, Sirius!" she laughed, swatting him with her wand as he sloppily kissed her cheeks, leaving drool all over her face. "Ick, now you've given me boy cooties!" she laughed.  
"Yes, you'll really need to sanitize yourself," he continued playfully. "But it can't be worse than this!"  
He tackled her to the ground, pinning down while tickling her along her inner thighs, right where he knew it killed her most.  
"Ahh, stop! You giant git!" she yelled, hardly breathing from his torture. "Stop your little foray right now!"  
"What's that?" he mockingly asked, holding a hand to his ear. "I can't hear a thing!"  
"Stop!" she screamed.  
"Eh?" he asked again, continuing to afflict her with his hands.  
She pulled his ear to her lips. "Stop it, Sirius," she whispered, and he pulled his face to hers. They studied each other for a moment, face to face, until, ever-so-softly, Sirius leaned down and kissed her, just barely grazing her lips.  
"God," she whispered as he moved his hands to her waist. "I've missed this so much."  
"I thought you had ickle Draco to fulfill your every sexual desire," he teased, playing absently with the fringe of her sweatshirt.  
"You know what I mean," she admonished softly, looking him straight in the eye. "_Us_. I've missed us."  
He nuzzled himself into the crick of her neck. "God, me too," he whispered, gently bringing his hand to her cheek. "We feel so right together..."  
Her stomach was swimming with butterflies and her heart hammered in her chest as he nervously, as if for the first time, raised her shirt over her head. He faltered a bit and she helped him; he gratefully smiled at her. "I've been out of practice, forgive me."  
"You're perfect," she said affectionately, her heart ready to explode in her chest. She hadn't been this nervous since her first time.  
He made his way to the straps of her bra, outlining them with his lips. They were dry and brittle and they burned into every centimeter of her skin. When he inched down her jeans, he playfully tickled behind her knees and she swatted him.  
"God, you can never give me a rest, can you?" she reprimanded.  
"Mmm...from the sound of it you're not getting a holiday," he said, nuzzling her stomach just above her panty line.  
"Well if you wouldn't be so bloody good at it then—" she broke off into a low, throaty moan as he lowered her knickers and began kissing from her ankles up to her thighs.  
When he'd finally made his way back to her lips, she carefully eased his shirt over his head, as if performing excruciatingly complicated surgery. He moaned into her hair as she kissed her way down his neck and ran her fingers through his short dark hair. He smelled of the same soap and cologne that he always had, and it drove Brynn absolutely wild.  
They stopped for a moment and just looked at each other, feeling positively comfortable yet excruciatingly awkward. As Sirius continued to stare at her, he began unzipping his pants, never allowing his eyes to leave hers.  
When they were both completely bare, he brought his arms under her carefully, trying to keep her from being hurt under his weight. She roped her arms carefully around his neck, entrusting herself to him.  
He bit into her shoulder as if it were a sweet, hungrily devouring the very taste of her. "I can't believe I've gone this long without you..." he trailed off, moving his lips across her collarbone.  
Brynn looked into his penetrating eyes. "Right now," she said, almost inaudibly, but he knew exactly what she'd said.  
"Are you sure?" he asked nervously, still holding her as if she were a piece of delicate china.  
She nodded, her eyes blinking up at him trustingly. He slowly, slowly pushed into her, as if she were doing this for the first time. He glanced at her, trying to see if she was in any way hurt.  
"I'm fine," she whispered, clutching his shoulders a bit tighter as he slid completely inside her. "I'm fine. You're absolutely perfect."  
He buried himself in Brynn's neck as he moved inside her. Brynn ached for him to be closer, and she wrapped her legs completely around his lower back. He groaned as she pushed him further inside her.  
"I wish..." he trailed off, pausing for a low, throaty moan.  
She brought a hand to his flushed cheek as they unanimously sighed with pleasure. "I love you so much," she cried, a tear slipping down her face.  
"I love you too, Brynn. Don't cry now," he soothed, kissing her tears from her face. "I'm here."  
She pushed her legs harder into his back, trying to bring him closer, while simultaneously bringing his face closer with her arms. "Don't leave me," she begged, looking up at him, her green eyes teeming with innocence.  
"I won't," he promised, pushing further into her as she moaned into his toned shoulder.  
They moaned and moved together as they always had before, each clinging to the other as they put their complications behind them for the moment. All they knew was the other at the moment, and Brynn cried and clawed until her voice was raspy and her lips were pulpy and sore. He spilled into her and she clawed him one final time, still clinging to him as he rolled away so as not to hurt her.  
"I love you so much," he whispered, stroking her face gently, lovingly.  
"I love you too," she answered, breaking into a genuine smile. And she honestly thought that loving him was enough to keep him with her forever. 


	14. I've Been a Bad, Bad Girl

Author's Note: I'm _so sorry _it took this long...I've had work, school, and golf to content with, and I'm about to have a nervous breakdown. One would think writing would help, but that little voice keeps saying _You should be doing your reading for school......._

_Disclaimer: I own nothing except my character and plot._

Chapter Fourteen

"Come again, now!" Vernon Dursley called as she walked out to the car with Harry. "Anytime, then! For tea any odd day!"  
Brynn had the striking impression that Vernon Dursley really liked the look of her Porsche sitting in his driveway. Petunia waved politely as well, but her nose was upturned as usual.  
"So what's my surprise?" Harry asked.  
"You'll see."  
"I thought it was riding in the car with you," he said. "I had no clue you were coming." He glanced back at the trunks strapped to the back and down at Hedwig's cage, which sat empty on his lap. Hedwig was off delivering mail to Ron.  
"Well now that I've come for you, and all your summer things are being whisked away...well what's the surprise now?" she asked.  
"I have no clue!" he exclaimed. "Just tell me! I'm dying here!"  
They pulled into her sister's garage and locked the car up. From there they took a bus to downtown London, where they were let off three blocks away from Grimmauld Place.  
"London?" Harry huffed, towing his bags.  
"Yes," she breathed back, hauling the largest trunk behind her.  
"It'd be so easy to just magic these," Harry grunted, stopping to rearrange the bags.  
"Wouldn't it, though?" she responded.  
Their conversation ceased when they neared the square, and Harry eyed her suspiciously. "But this isn't—"  
"Shh," she whispered, pulling the paper from her pocket. As Sirius's house sprang into view, they quickly hoisted the bags and walked straight through the front door.  
"What's this all about?" Harry whispered, fearing waking Sirius's mother.  
They heard footsteps on the stair and Harry turned to look. Descending the staircase was Sirius, grinning broadly and running down the last stairs to embrace Harry in a large hug.  
"But how did you...?" Harry trailed off, looking up at Sirius.  
"Brynn," he said simply, gesturing to her. "She saved me."  
They all embraced, one happy family.  
"And you're back now?" he asked hopefully.  
Brynn grimaced, as did Sirius. They studied each other.  
"I'll just take Harry's things upstairs to his room," she said, magicking the many trunks into the air, where they floated calmly up the stairs. Brynn followed them as she heard Sirius begin, "Well it's like everyone says, isn't it...?"  
She shook her head, and vowed to speak with Dumbledore immediately regarding Sirius's return to the veil. The trunks floated into the first room upstairs, which contained a large four-poster bed with thick, dark green curtains that cascaded down and nearly touched the floor. Hedwig's cage hung itself on a coat rack in the corner. Home sweet home.  
Brynn sat on the edge of Harry's bed and cried.  
  
Later in the day, after eating Sirius's poor attempt at dinner, they sat in the drawing room catching up with one another. Brynn rose and walked toward the doorway.  
"Right now, close your eyes, boys," Brynn said, looking back at them.  
Surprisingly, they did as they were told without question. Brynn pulled four heavy leather-bound photo albums from a large cupboard and brought them back to the sofa they were sitting on.  
"Okay, open."  
They both looked and laughed as Brynn dumped the heavy volumes onto Sirius's lap. She sat beside him and Harry sat on the opposite side. She and Sirius exchanged a meaningful look, and as she turned her look to Harry she noticed he was looking at them as if they were his parents. A pang went through her as she realized that they were his parents now, really. After all, Sirius was his godfather and Brynn was as good as his mother; he knew that she would do anything for him.  
Sirius cracked the first volume and they were greeted by a screaming Harry.  
"Oh, what a lovely ickle boy," Sirius crooned, and Harry lobbed him one to the head.  
After looking at various pictures of Harry's childhood, which seemed to stop when he was roughly three months old, they turned to Sirius's album. It was bound in finer leather than any of the other volumes, and the first picture was of a very posh woman holding a tiny baby with jet black hair. The baby looked as if he daren't cry.  
"There's my dear mum," he said bitterly, flipping pages quickly.  
They looked at all the pictures of him: Sirius's first steps; Sirius blowing up his carriage; Sirius's first day at Hogwarts, proudly displaying his new robes; Sirius and James, giving each other rabbit ears and grinning conspiratorially.  
Brynn's book gave the usual pictures as well: Brynn playing Muggle sports; Brynn at a swim meet when she was five, screaming each time a boy pulled her swim knickers down; Brynn at a Muggle prom; Brynn with her father next to their Porsche.  
The fourth album held pictures of the Order. There were pictures of James and Sirius goofing off; Lily Potter and Alice Longbottom conversing over tea; and all of them sitting at a large table, looking gravely at each other.  
The newest Order pictures began from the last year: Mundungus, Fred, and George talking in low, murmuring voices; Sirius and Brynn looking meaningfully at each other across the table, so as not to be seen by anyone; Mr. and Mrs. Weasley hugging each other at dinner. The last photo in the album was one of Harry, Sirius, and Brynn, who sat at the very same couch they were sitting at now, smiling happily. Brynn had one leg swung over Sirius's lap, and he had his arm resting comfortably at her waist. Harry was grinning widely, his arm draped across Sirius's shoulders.  
They closed the album together and Brynn gazed at Harry, who was looking at Sirius.  
"I think it's time for bed," Sirius said, making an effort to stand.  
They all retreated upstairs, Sirius and Brynn hugging Harry before he retreated to his bedroom. Sirius rested his arm between her shoulder blades as he always had, giving her a quick look that made her knees weak.  
Once in their bedroom, which was at the very end of the hall, Sirius flopped into bed with a loud sigh as Brynn began disrobing.  
"I think I'm going to take a shower," she said, walking toward the bath.  
She walked back into the bedroom to find him exactly as she'd left him: his hands were propped under his head, and he was staring fixedly at the ceiling. Brynn straddled him and began toying with the dark hair that began at his navel. He gave her a look that burned her to the core, making her hands tremble and her knees go weak once again.  
He placed his hands lightly on her hips, moving her toward him. "I missed you."  
"It was only a few minutes while I was in the shower," she whispered, running her fingers across his scratchy face—it didn't matter how many times a day Sirius shaved: by the end of the day he'd always have rough stubble. She loved the way it grazed her fingers when she ran them across his cheeks.  
"It seemed like an eternity."  
She was lying beside him now, pressed tightly to him, one leg slung across his stomach and an arm hugging him. She buried her face in the crick of his arm, feeling, for the first time in months, comfort. After she'd inhaled his familiar scent, she sighed happily as his arm rested familiarly on her back.  
"Harry looks happy," she said, tracing the line of his abdominal muscles.  
"Yes," he sighed, massaging her back with his thumb.  
She kissed the side of his abdomen, making him squirm. As she continued to kiss, she soon felt Sirius grow hard against her right arm. She decided to make him wait a few moments, and she continued to kiss from his navel to his boxer line, then made her way from left to right across his stomach. His leg twitched restlessly, and she smiled to herself as she gave him one final, aching kiss, then reached inside his boxers, making him squirm further as she touched him.  
Just before she knew Sirius would roll her over and take charge, she effortlessly slipped off her shorts and straddled him once again, leaning down to kiss his hungry lips before finding the right angle and sliding him inside her.  
He groaned as she moved in a slow rhythm, torturing him with her deliberately sluggish pace. Placing his hands delicately on her hips, he began moving her faster, and she gave him the evil eye.  
Sirius laughed, pulling her toward him.  
"Such a sadist," she whispered headily, leaning to kiss his pulpy lips.  
"Likewise," he mumbled, tracing the line of her spine with his forefinger, causing her to moan throatily in his ear.  
"Oh, love," he sighed, responding to her moaning.  
They moved together and Sirius became noisier, but Brynn pressed her lips against his, silencing him. As she began to moan she bit Sirius's shoulder, causing him to push further inside her. An echoing erotic sigh erupted throughout the house, but Brynn didn't care anymore. She felt herself being lifted higher and higher, until she felt herself fall over the edge and tumble downward......  
Sirius was on top of her now, breathing heavily into her neck. A few short sighs escaped her before she was kissing him greedily, wanting him all over again. Succint gasps escaped her as Sirius combed her hair with his fingers, pushing into her again, already hard.  
He pumped in and out quickly; this time was more rushed. She moved faster and faster to his rhythm, clawing his back and trying to muffle her moans in Sirius's strong shoulder. She came twice before he did, and finally he came again, dissolving into her as their sweaty bodies meshed.  
Sirius, quickly remembering his weight, slid off her, though still holding her shivering body. His fingers quickly found her hair and his lips became attached to her neck.  
"Quiet, Sirius, we have a child now," she breathily scolded as he moaned into her neck.  
He laughed, then looked seriously at her. "I can't get enough of you..."  
Any exhaustion Brynn had completely faded away as he explored her entire body, and she writhed and moaned pleasurably. After coming together one last time, Brynn was overcome with exhaustion and fell quickly asleep, Sirius's strong hand resting gently on her thigh.  
The next morning, she woke to find Sirius sleeping peacefully, his arm now thrown haphazardly across her stomach. She looked at the clock and saw it was nearly lunch time, and quickly threw on her shorts and shirt from the previous night. When she practically burst into the kitchen, she found Harry there, reading some school material.  
"Morning, Harry," she tried, quickly putting the kettle on.  
"Morning." he said, smiling at her.  
"Are you hungry?" she asked, taking things from the fridge.  
"Yes. I mean, I had a snack when I woke up but I'm hungry now."  
"Alright, then. What would you like?"  
"Anything's great," he said, turning back to his studies. She sat the kettle in front of him along with some milk and sugar.  
"Eggs fine with you? There's really not much here, you see..."  
"Brilliant! That sounds excellent."  
She stood at the counter whisking the eggs and turned when she heard footsteps. Sirius quickly came to her, kissing the back of her neck and sticking his hand down the back of her shorts. She stuck her bum out to move him away, then turned around to face him.  
"Harry's in the room, Sirius!" she scolded, though she was smiling, then she turned back around to finish making breakfast.  
"In that case..." he said. "Harry, this is how you say good morning to your love on Saturday mornings."  
He smacked her bottom playfully, then wrapped his arms around her waist. She giggled as he kissed into her neck, and she almost moaned when he whispered "I'm utterly mystified by you" so softly that she almost didn't hear it. She turned to face him, wrapping her arms around his neck and drawing him closer.  
Brynn kissed him passionately until he pulled away from her, grinning evilly. "No, no, Brynn, Harry's in the room," he teased, buttering toast and taking it to the table. "It always works," he winked at Harry, laughing as he took a piece of toast.  
She looked evilly upon him as he poured orange juice into Harry's glass, meanwhile staring at the dark hair that began at his navel and disappeared into the pants he wore...  
He grinned at her after seeing her staring, and she quickly turned back to the eggs, which had flipped themselves out of the pan and into a large bowl. She carried them to the table and took a seat next to Harry.  
Excusing herself on the pretense of needing a shower, Brynn walked upstairs to allow Harry and Sirius to spend time together. She let the hot water and steam intoxicate her until she was no longer lucid; however, a few moments later her reverie faded and she realized how soon one month was. Because she was banging her head against the shower wall, she didn't hear Sirius open the bathroom door, nor did she lucidly hear what he was saying to her: in fact, she thought his voice was just caught in her head.  
"Brynn!" he exclaimed, sliding the shower curtain open. "I've been calling you for the last five minutes because of this loud banging noise!"  
She stopped and looked at him, water hitting her head and gliding elegantly down her face. Her swollen lips were parted as she stared at him, his face the perfect picture of worry. Unthinkingly, she pulled him toward her though he was still fully clothed, and he instinctively stepped into the shower with her, immediately being drenched by the powerful flow of water.  
Brynn, mouth still gaping, held tightly to his shirt, bringing him further toward her. She pulled it over his head quickly and threw it down on the shower's floor. He watched her unbuckle his belt and quickly pull down his jeans, and she felt him sway as she kissed his hardness. Pinning him against the wall, she went down on him in the shower, his pants still around his ankles.  
His breathing grew heavier as she pushed him further and further into her mouth, sneakily glancing up at him a few times to find his face cloaked in absolute ecstasy. She'd never before realized how hard it was to grip someone in the shower. Her eager hands kept slipping from his legs, until she finally gave up. He came in her mouth soon after, and his head rested against the shower wall.  
As she stood beside him, he quickly put his hand at her waist and kissed her neck as he always did.  
Brynn stared at him stupidly, having nothing to say.  
"Harry's waiting for you," she offered foolishly.


	15. Conclusions

_Disclaimer: nothing._

Author's Note: Sorry I haven't updated. School, you know.

Chapter Fifteen

And just as soon as he'd come, he was gone. Gone. Again. Would this ever end? She felt empty, incomplete. Her face had

drained itself of colour, her hair was dull and hung limply to her shoulders. She hadn't showered in at least two weeks, since

she'd taken Sirius to the veil.

She tried looking at the bright sides of things. For instance, she and Tonks had managed to capture Lucius Malfoy's group

of Death Eaters, and they'd been taken to the very highly guarded Azkaban prison. Of course, they hadn't gone easily, but

they were there now, which was all that was important. Oh, and Lucius Malfoy had flirted with her again before going….so

that was good, sure, uhh….it told her that she was still attractive? She didn't know, but she was trying to make the best of

things.

After the troupe had been taken to Azkaban, Brynn took Sirius back to the veil. Their goodbye was tearful and short, but

contained a lifetime full of memories. Sirius made it quite clear that he would like her to settle down, and perhaps sew a few of

her wild oats.

"To be exact, no more sleeping with students, _especially _students of Malfoy's calibre," Sirius intoned. "You'll only hurt

them or get yourself in trouble."

Brynn was at her sister's home, dreading the start of new term in two weeks and staring at the ceiling of her bedroom. _One _

_tile, two tiles, three tiles, four…._

Door chime. Brynn ignored the sound and went back to counting. A few moments later, however, her sister dropped in.

"Brynn, you have company, and, er…I think you two'd better just…go."

She stared at Niamh, wondering what the hell she was talking about. After a glare, she climbed gingerly from her sweaty

sheets and walked into the front foyer. Her eyes widened in amazement as she looked at the person standing before her.

"_OLIVER!"_ she screamed, forgetting her smelliness and to appear sullen and drawn. Oliver stood before her in a red

sweater and jeans, broom in hand. He was also levitating a spectacular "Who eats all the quaffles? PORKER!" sign. "What

on _earth _are you doing here? Dressed like that!"

"Today's the Cup," he said calmly. "You're going. With me. Now. I know what happened, now take a shower and get

dressed."

She stared at him, wondering why he was doing this for her.

"Do it, Brynn," he said. "Do you want me to be late for the Cup?"

She laughed and eyed him suspiciously. "Why are you doing this for me?"

"Why _wouldn't_ I do it for you? Now _go_!"

A bit later she and Oliver were on their way, using a discarded doorknob as their Portkey. When they arrived, she and

Oliver made their way up to the seats he had. His seats had been got through his Quidditch team, so they were quite good,

but Brynn was wary of sitting near all the Quidditch players. After reaching their section, Oliver began introductions.

"Brynn, this is Erroll, Jack, Meg, Chris, Steven, Lloyd, Harriet, and Jarred. Everyone, this is Brynn."

"_Hi, Brynn_," they chanted and smiled, then returned to their programs. Brynn took her seat near Harriet, while Oliver sat

next to Jack. Oliver turned to her and grinned.

Some of the blokes behind them leaned forward to Brynn and Oliver.

"Oliver, gimme the sign, mate," Jack said, and Oliver handed it to him. Brynn turned and noticed Jack had his shirt off, and

his whole chest was painted bright turquoise in favour of the Dragons, and he'd painted quite a large smiley face using his

belly button. For the first time in weeks, she laughed a true laugh.

The match was brilliant, and Brynn found herself getting extremely into it, and even screaming along with Oliver and all his

mates. They raised their hands and pointed to Porker and chanted, "Who ate all the pies?"

The match ended in seven hours, and afterward she and Oliver went to party with his Quidditch team. Brynn, having not

eaten for as long as she hadn't showered, stuffed item upon item of food into her mouth, plate upon plate. Oliver also handed

her drink after drink, and Brynn felt herself relaxing, realising that her life could go on without Sirius, and she was fairly

positive it was really herself thinking it and not just the alcohol putting it into her brain.

"Oliver…" she said around five a.m. "Let's goa bed."

He smiled and took her into his tent, which was a small but well finished cabin-esque space with large overstuffed furniture

and a springy double bed. Brynn tried to take his shirt off, but Oliver pushed her back softly.

"I don't know if you're ready for this," he said.

"But I am…really."

He bit his lower lip and looked at her, pausing for a moment. "Brynn…"

She looked up at him.

"I've never wanted to be with anyone in the world more than I do with you at this moment,…ever, actually; I love you to

death but I want to take things slowly this time, because I don't want to make a single mistake and I want us to stay."

She looked at his gorgeous face, and especially the eyes that were wrought with worry. Gingerly, she stroked his cheek

and nodded slowly. "I completely understand."

He nodded, and his eyes fell on her as she peeled her clothes off slowly and put her pajamas on. She watched him as he

did the same, and then they crawled into bed together, separating awkwardly at first, but moving closer together as the night

wore on.

The two of them left early the next afternoon, Brynn dressed in a pink dress with huge white sunglasses and a great white

hat, and Oliver in a button-down shirt and khakis. They went to his flat, which was very small but very nice all the same.

"Are you hungry?" he asked.

"Yeah, sure," she said. "Anything is fine."

She walked around looking at things about the place, and she came across a photo of Oliver and her that had been taken a

few years back. Oliver had been in his last year at Hogwart's, which meant the photo was roughly four years ago…had it

really been that long already?

"Tea, biscuits, and ham sandwiches…a true Oliver Wood original," he beamed at her, placing the trays on a small coffee

table.

"Looks great," she said, and tucked in.

Later that evening, Brynn had just taken a shower and was in the process of putting a skirt on when Oliver looked in.

"I just wanted to know if you'd accept a formal invite to dinner with me," he said, and winked.

"_J'aimerais à, monsieur_," she drawled, pulling a shirt over her head.

He grinned. "Be out in ten minutes!"

Brynn thought she looked quite pretty, with her nice wool herringbone skirt on and a nice white drape-neck top. She had

epic stilettos on that matched her skirt perfectly, and her hair was straight and shiny, with the perfect amount of volume and

bounce.

"_Bonsoir, Mademoiselle Flatley_." He bowed slightly and pulled a chair out for her.

"_Bonsoir, Monsieur Wood_."

"_Le dîner sera dehors sous peu_," he said slowly, unsure of his French.

Brynn covered her mouth with the back of her hand and laughed. She looked into the kitchen at him, surprised to see him

dressed as nicely as she herself. He also looked quite nervous, flitting about madly in the kitchen. She laughed as he tried

tasting something with a spoon and it fell to the floor. Eventually, however, the food floated to a small table just next to the

dining table, and Oliver joined her.

"Let's eat," he said. "This was harder than I thought it'd be."

Brynn laughed and raised her glass to him. "It looks gorgeous."

He smiled, and she noticed he was sweating. In the back of her mind, she remembered thinking she'd seen men this

nervous only when they were about to…

_What?!_

Well, it did make perfect sense.

_But Jesus! God now I'm sweating._

But it makes perfect sense.

_But I don't want to be proposed to when I look like a big pasty cantaloupe._

After an excruciatingly quiet dinner, Oliver held her hand lightly and smiled.

_Oh Jesus, oh God_, Brynn thought, her heart racing.

"Brynn, I've thought of this a lot. I know the two of us are young, but I really think that when something this important

comes along, the opportunity cannot be passed up.

"I'm madly in love with you and I wouldn't be able to live my life without you. I know you feel the same for me, and…I

just…"

She looked at him, and he started straight into her eyes, then proceeded to get down on one knee.

"You're gorgeous, you're smart, you're perfect. I love you and want to be with you forever. Would you marry me?"

She nodded, then smiled. "Of course."

---------------------

Now, four months later, it was winter hols at Hogwart's, and Brynn stood at the entrance to the church. She was alone,

but this time she was fine with it, because through the door just in front of her a man waited, one whom she loved and one

whom she knew would never leave her, never force her to live in seclusion, never have to be away from her. It wasn't that

she didn't love Sirius, it was just that she loved Oliver every bit as much, and with Oliver things were easier and more

promising...more _real_.

The doors swung open and she walked into her new life.


End file.
